Miles To Home
by jaybunzy0
Summary: For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home. Based on a Carosel Production.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Miles To Home

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: Just want to thank dobrevdelenaxo on twitter for recommending that I attempt to bring the beautiful story that Caro and Ele created for their trailer to life. If you haven't already PLEASE check it out! It's amazing as are all of their collaborations! I hope I do it justice! Huge thank you to Ele and Caro for giving me the permission to tackle this and for Morgan for being my saving grace while I attempt first person POV for the first time in forever and making sure I don't switch tenses and create snobby characters. THANK YOU!**

 **As for you, reader... Thank you for reading and let me know what you think by reviewing. Enjoy! xx**

* * *

 _Life is perfect._

Absolutely, amazingly, fantastically _perfect_.

Getting crowned Prom Queen, graduating with honors, a full ride to _Columbia_ , and, _oh god_ , Damon's mouth on mine. We have an empty house for the rest of the weekend thanks to a medical convention and it can only lead to bad, bad things on this couch, my bed… the shower. I'm a good girl when it comes to pretty much everything, except when my boyfriend, Damon Salvatore, is involved.

And who can blame me? He's absolutely gorgeous and a total heartthrob. His gorgeous blue eyes and strong jawline had every girl at Mystic Falls High secretly wanting him—even the prissy types who normally avoided guys walking the direct path to scandals. And that's what Damon once led to—scandal. He was the resident bad boy, causing all kinds of trouble. He would skip school and drink and party. His life was going nowhere. He was destined to become a Mystic Falls staple or end up in a body bag.

 _Until I came along._

 _Elena Gilbert: Savior of the Cursed and Damned._

The trope where the bad boy turns good for the right girl became our love story. Damon and I met and I wouldn't put up with any of his crap. I knew he used humor to deflect and that every bad thing he did was a way to deal with the pain of his mother's death and his father's revolving door of women. I tried to be there for him, challenge him and force him to see his own potential. And what I ultimately discovered was his good side.

Damon was loyal, compassionate, funny, resourceful, and would do anything for those he loved. Those traits were what pushed me to defend him, risking my own reputation and the wrath of my parents. We battled against the attraction, fighting against giving in until finally, Damon began change for the better. He started attending class, cutting back on the partying, and hanging out with me; telling me over and over that I was the only good in his life.

And judging by the smile on his face as he leans down to kiss me, telling me over and over again about how much he loves me, I can't help but believe him.

What did I say? _Perfect_.

All of his bad boy days are in the past. Well over a year and a half into the past. The fact that I could get Damon Salvatore—reformed bad boy—crowned Prom King is proof of just how far he has come. And the fact that he did it with a minimum of snarky comments is why I'm very eager to get him upstairs and prove just how thankful I am.

He only did it to fulfill my vision of the perfect prom after all.

"Want to take this upstairs?" I moan as his hand slides its way up my jean clad leg and between my thighs.

Damon smirks. "I'm pretty comfortable right here."

His other hand brushes against the bare skin of my collarbone, pushing aside the flimsy thin strap of my periwinkle tank, easing it off my shoulder. My hair creates a curtain around us and I feel like we're all that exists in this moment. All I hear is the sound of my labored breath and Damon's excited panting one. I feel his touch on my skin and between my legs and the racing of his heart underneath my hand on his chest. I'm completely absorbed in us.

And for once, no one is home, meaning no interruptions. At this moment my eagerness has reached a fever pitch. I'm not sure I have the strength to stop his ministrations for the few minutes it will take to get upstairs.

 _Oh, what the hell._

I crash my mouth to his and he opens up to me immediately, eager. I'm straddled over him and as his hand moves around to grab hold of my ass, his hips rise and create a delicious friction as they rise and fall with my own. We're completely clothed and it takes everything in me not to tear his burgundy t-shirt to shreds so I can feel more of his skin. My one hand slides to where the fabric of his shirt meets with the buckle wrapped around his narrow hips and I slip it beneath his tee, moaning in satisfaction.

His abs are a piece of art. _Seriously_. If I had any artistic talent I would make my own homage to his abs the way Michelangelo sculpted David. My fingers graze up along his muscles, feeling every indention and the hardness beneath. I want to kiss down his chest, lick my way along those defined lines and just worship him. But he now has both hands palming my ass, practically locking my hands beneath his own. I'm torn between wanting the friction between us to continue and wanting to get him naked right this second so I can feel it without the layers of clothing.

Just as I'm about to slide his shirt up and over his head and really get this going, the sound of the door unlocking just a few feet away freezes my hands. Damon's quicker than I am and he simultaneously fixes the straps of my tank and maneuvers me so I am now laying against his legs with my back against the couch, my head on his chest.

Now instead of two teenagers caught in a compromising position, we're just a boy and girl cuddling on the couch. The whiplash of it all has my head spinning.

The door swings open and both our heads snap towards it as my sister, Katherine, walks in.

My _twin_ sister.

My twin sister who was supposed to be at an after prom party for the night.

I glare at her as she sashays her way towards us dressed in six inch heel ankle boots, skin tight jeans and an equally tight grey tank that molds to her body and accentuates every curve. The curls of her brown hair bounce as she approaches, her face made up to perfection with a smoky eye and red lip that forms the knowing smile as she takes the sight of us in.

"Hey, you two," she teases. "Am I interrupting?"

I roll my eyes, the same shade of brown as hers, as I say, "I thought you had plans tonight."

She waves a hand dismissively before placing both her hands on the back of a chair across from us, giving us ample view of her chest. "It got boring. Too many wannabe's. Damon knows how it is."

I groan and feel Damon's hands wrap around me. My sister feels like it is her sole purpose to remind me endlessly that Damon had been her friend first back before she introduced us. Although saying she introduced us is putting it lightly. I caught them both rifling through our parents' liquor cabinet one night, despite being completely inebriated already. I had already known of Damon Salvatore since my best friend Caroline's mom is the police chief and he hardly blended, but it seemed Damon had been too caught up with his own life to take notice of me.

However, once he did, he never stopped.

After an ill-advised joke about a threesome, Damon had left with Katherine in search for some other way to get alcohol. He did, however, show up at my locker the next day at school, effectively starting our friendship and the slow end of theirs.

Needless to say, Katherine didn't take the swap too well.

"What about Brady's?" Damon says and my head turns toward his.

"Yeah, I might head over there." Katherine shrugs. As my eyes turn back to her, I notice the way her eyes flicks up towards us with a little bit of something I don't recognize. "Wanna come?"

I groan. "We're a little busy, Kat."

She narrows her eyes before standing straight and crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, right. 'Cause everyone wants to spend Prom Night doing something they can do any other night when the parentals aren't home. Don't you want to party with our classmates?"

"How do you know what people want to do after prom?" I say with narrowed eyes of my own. I am beyond pissed at her always trying to pull Damon back to the dark side. "You didn't even go."

My sister huffs with anger before she turns to head back out the door. "That's because I choose to experience life rather than check it off some perfect little checklist."

And with that she heads out, slamming the door with such force I'm surprised the walls don't shake. I know what I said about her not being at prom may have come off cruel and cold but it wasn't like she didn't have options. Plenty of guys asked, including Mason, a guy she actually likes. Katherine would just rather party than participate in any of the milestones that come with senior year. Or participate in anything with me.

"Elena…." Damon begins and I can tell he wants to get in the middle. He's always telling me I'm too harsh on Katherine, but he doesn't know everything she's done to me. All the manipulating and cruel things I have had to put up with. Like her covering my hair in bubble gum in middle school, forcing me to cut my long hair to nearly my chin, or trying to sleep with my freshman year boyfriend just to mess with me because I wouldn't. But I turn towards him and he quickly silences up. He knows Katherine is a sore subject between us.

We each know sides of her the other one doesn't.

"Damon, it's a good day."

And I quickly press my mouth to his.

"But…" He mumbled against my lips.

I replace my mouth with my finger, quieting him.

"Don't let her ruin it. I know you care about her because you two used to be best friends but she and I have our own past that makes things a little harder to get over. I put up with her because she's my sister, but we're different. Too different."

"I just think if you talked to her—actually talked—you would see why she is the way she is." Damon brushes my hair away from my face, meeting my eyes.

I huff in annoyance. "You act like she has this reason for why she is the way she is. We have the same past, same parents. She is who she is because she chooses to be."

"Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?" he says in defeat.

Standing up, I reach out for his hand. He takes it and stands up, towering over me. I look into his eyes and see the same love I have for him reflected back at me. He just wants what's best for me and that means a good relationship with my sister. "I'll talk to her tomorrow." My hand squeezes his as I walk backwards towards the stairs leading to my bedroom. "But for now I just want to salvage this night. I don't want to fight. I want to thank you for running for Prom Court."

This gets him smiling. "I had to wear a velvet crown with tacky fake jewels."

"I know. The _horror_ ," I tease.

As we reach the landing, he grabs hold of our crowns that are placed on a table nearby and I give him a questioning look. "If you think I'm missing out on the opportunity to get the prom queen in nothing but this plastic crown, you don't know me too well. It's been a life goal of mine."

I giggle, and in on swift motion he throws me over his shoulder and races up the stairs to salvage this night. There's plenty of time to fix things with my sister, despite her constant need to wreck my life, but I only get one prom night with my prom king and I want it to be perfect.

And there's no way I'm letting her ruin it any more than she already has.

* * *

I lay down on the bed with Damon sleeping soundly beside me as I scribble in my diary. In living the fairytale of the night before I hadn't had a chance to write it all down. With daylight streaming in from the window and my cream comforter resting just above my chest, I relax against the pillows and relive every memory from last night. From the way Damon looked at me when I descended the stairs in my pink and purple marbled gown, ready with a corsage, to our last dance of the night and how we swayed in each other arms, no longer hearing the music but instead dancing to the rhythm of our heartbeats. I interwove stories of Caroline and me dancing along to our favorite songs and all the other great moments that only happen during prom.

Beside me, Damon stirs and wraps his arm around my waist, nestling his head against my side. "Why are you awake?" he mumbles.

Tucking the pen inside my diary, I place it on the nightstand and turn towards my boyfriend, running my fingers through his hair. "I wanted to write about last night."

"You mean how I completely rocked your world?"

I maneuver myself so I can lay beside him, hitching my leg over his hip. "You think all I do is write about how amazing you are in bed?"

"And how _dreamy_ my eyes are."

"There's at least ten pages describing the shades of your eyes," I tease.

"Look at you taking notes from Stephenie Meyer."

I shove at him and he pulls me closer, resting his chin on my head. My hands wrap around his bare back, lightly scratching as his hands roam down my side. I'm deliciously sore from last night but my body seems to still be craving more because my heart starts to race, my breaths become pants, and I press against against him. We're so close it's almost as if we're becoming one.

And soon enough this will be routine.

"I can't believe in just a few months I get to wake up to you every morning," I breathe, tilting my head up to look at him.

He inches back, kissing my forehead, nose, mouth punctuating each kiss with a word. "Me, you, New York City and an apartment all to ourselves."

"Speaking of…" I begin. "While I'm at school have you figured out what you want to be doing?"

Damon shrugs, eyes closed with an easy smile. "I'll pick up some odd jobs. Figure it out."

"And you're sure you want to follow me all the way to NYC?"

His eyes open and search my face. I feel wary under his gaze but I can't help but ask the question. He's uprooting his life and following me seven hours away from our home town. He has life figured out here, but with me at school and busy with my premed program, will it affect us? I just don't want him to end up hating me.

"You'll be in NYC, so that's where I want to be."

Frowning, I inch back from him. It should be a romantic notion. Hell, any other girl would dream of her guy saying anything like that. But I don't want Damon to just follow me. I want him to have dreams and a drive of his own. "Didn't you ever want to be something when you were little?"

"I wanted to be Iron Man, but the suit was way too bulky and I really shouldn't deny the women of the world all of this," he says, gesturing to himself.

"Damon, I'm serious. I don't want you to hate me and regret going there."

His eyes grow serious and his hand reaches out to touch my face. "I could never hate you. Elena, I was lost without you. I drowned myself in vices and humor. You pulled me from that and gave me the hope of a future. Whatever that future is."

"Okay," I whisper, smiling. "That was pretty good."

He leans forward and kisses me and just as his hands begin to slide down my body, the sound of a throat clearing bolts us apart. My eyes move towards the joined bathroom that Katherine and I share, and there she is in the doorway with only a very tiny white towel covering her body. My hand covers my eyes when really I should be covering Damon's, but I am just completely embarrassed by my sister's lack of shame.

"Don't get all quiet on my account," Katherine says, sitting on the edge of the bed.

As I lift the comforter so it's covering both of us, Damon shakes his head. "What did you wrap yourself in, a hand towel?"

"Oh, is that what this is?" she questions, her hand reaching down to touch the cotton towel. "Normally I'm naked but since we have guests…"

I clutch the comforter against my chest. "What do you want, Katherine?"

She laughs. "Just letting you know I'm headed to Mason's for the day so you have the house to yourself. And I'll be sure to call before I come home so I don't interrupt."

"That's not all we do." I'm positive I'm bright red at this point. Damon is simply smirking beside me.

Katherine stands up, chuckling. " _Sure_ , Elena. You're the _good_ twin. Little Miss Perfect."

With a wave of her fingers she disappears from the room, closing the door behind her. The moment the door clicks shut, I collapse against the bed. I may be the good twin and have my life together but Katherine thinking she's the bad twin is of her own doing. If only she would cut back on the partying and actually put some effort into school.

I look over at Damon who is watching me and try to give a smile. It falters, though, and he leans forward, smiling sweetly. "I think I'll make us some pancakes."

That brightens me up. "Really?"

He nods, kissing my cheek and getting out of the bed to slide on his jeans. I watch him in the morning light, all hard lines and chiseled muscles, tan Italian skin and dark raven black hair. Everything about him is dark, mysterious, and yet when you look into those bright eyes of his you see the light. The soft heart hidden behind all the humor and the love practically pouring from him.

Damon leans forward, smiling, and kisses me before dashing from the room. I call out to let him know I'll be down in a bit before reaching over for my diary. I look down at the first lines of today's entry and smile.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I love my life._

And despite Katherine's little digs, I believe it. There's nothing wrong with being good and happy. I love my life, my boyfriend, my friends, parents, and where my life is headed. I've worked hard to get here and I'm not going to let confusion over the meaning behind my sisters words get to me.

I'm blissfully happy and nothing could possibly go wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Miles To Home

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for response! I hope I can live up to the amazing trailer Ele and Caro created (seriously guise check it out!). This chapter took a little longer than usual because the second half just wasn't fitting correctly. I feel much better with how I finally ended it. Hopefully you do too! Enjoy! xx**

* * *

"I can't believe we're going to be high school graduates in only a few days!"

My best friend Caroline is doing her damnedest to contain her excitement but it radiates from every single part of her. From the bright toothy smile to the crinkles near her eyes to the skip in her step, she's happy, bright. She's always reminded me of sunshine. Being around her just fills you up with warmth and excitement. She's bubbly and fun and full of energy. It's hard to believe there is ever time when she isn't full of smiles.

I smile at her and link my arm through hers as we make our way through the bustling mall in search of the perfect dress to match our cardinal red graduation gowns. As expected, there hasn't been much luck and at this point we've given up on the idea of matching. Still, both our free arms are full of bags.

"I know!" I reply, tugging her inside Nordstrom, the last store we haven't been in. "It's crazy! Twelve years in the Mystic Falls School System and we're finally free!"

Caroline's eyes go wide as she spots a pair of heels just inside. Despite being told by Mr. Wagner that we girls are better off in flats because we'd be walking over grass and we shouldn't mess up his precious football field. Still, it hadn't stop me from putting aside a pair of nude patent leather heels to wear despite not having a dress, despite his advisement. It's definitely not going to stop Caroline. It's the first time we're both disobeying authority.

But what are they going to do? Suspend us?

Damon must be rubbing off on me.

Caroline holds up a beige pair of shoes with high, thin heel and I can practically see the hearts in her eyes. The toe is pointed and it's all hard angles and height, Caroline will be even more of a knockout than she already is. My best friend already has the looks of a model with her bright blonde hair and effortless natural beachy waves, porcelain skin covering every inch of her tall and thin frame. She's a perfect ten. I watched as clutches the shoe to her chest and closes her blue eyes—no doubt seeing how perfectly they fit into the image in her head.

Yeah, there's a reason we're besties. We both strive for perfection.

After slipping her foot out of her navy flats she eases it into the dream shoe and flails with excitement. "This perfect and comfortable?" she says, taking a few steps. "Sold!"

As she slides back into her own shoes, she grabs hold of the box with the matching shoe in her size and finds a saleswoman to ring them up. I stand back, eyeing a pair of Frye boots and watching my best friend chat up the woman at the register.

She's so smiley and happy and it has me fighting a smile of my own. We've been inseparable since our parents arranged our first play date. Coming from founding families we both grew up with parents who wanted the best for us (aka already planned out our entire lives). That shared understanding linked us together even before our similar interests and bond came into play. It only became stronger when the truth behind Caroline's family life came into view.

I never used to wonder why it was that Caroline used to practically live at my house. I never questioned why every sleepover was at my house or why after school snacks were had in my kitchen. It's just not something you think about when you're little. But later on, when I noticed Caroline withdrawing and losing her bubbly personality, I finally got her to spill.

It was her father, Bill Forbes. Her father used to drink and get violent and she would hide out at my house to escape it all. When her mother was at work she made sure Caroline wasn't home alone with him and on nights when her father was in a bad mood, Caroline slept over. It took Caroline's father to nearly hit Caroline one day when she back talked to him until he finally got his act together. The sight of his only child, his little girl, looking at him scared and hurt and confused, undid him. And after that the reason behind it all came out—or rather he did. Bill Forbes drank because he was hiding the fact that he was gay and not in love with his wife.

He had tried to apologize, tried to get her to understand the personal hell he had put himself through by keeping his true self a secret, but by then it was all too late. Caroline felt sorry for her father for not being able to be who he was but the years of drinking and emotional abuse and near hit had already left Caroline with emotional scars and a pretty severe wall.

Bill was now in New York City with his husband and while he talked to his daughter on the phone every few months, Caroline still hasn't been up to visit. She just can't make herself do it. She's just not ready to face it.

Despite the smile on her face right now I know what lay underneath; a deep distrust of men and a fear of falling in love. A fear of losing herself or finding a man who will feel trapped the way her father had. It left my best friend with the need to keep men at an arm's length. And even though I knew the reason why it didn't stop me from feeling sad for her and hoping that one day she would find a guy who could break down those walls.

Because Caroline deserved someone who made her as happy as a pair of shoes.

"Okay," my best friend said, approaching me with a new bag slung on her arm. "No more distractions! The next purchase for both us is a graduation dress!"

"Agreed!" I say as we both make our way towards the dresses.

Together we peruse rack after rack until finally I see it. My hand runs along the delicate cream crochet overlay and the soft muted pink fabric underneath. It's simple enough to go along with the vibrant color of the cap and gown yet still fancy enough for the occasion and party that follows. As I look over at Caroline to tell her, I see her wearing a face I'm sure matches my own. In her hand is a fitted knee length dress with a floral pattern of yellow and purple flowers that while clashes with their school colors fits Caroline's taste perfectly.

"Did we seriously just both find our dresses in the same store? On the same rack?" I ask incredulously.

Caroline laughs. "See what happens when we're focused."

"You're the one who went into Sephora."

With a sly smile she replies, "Well, we need make up to go with our dress."

"Before we have said dress?" I counter.

"Technically, we still don't have our dresses. We have to try them on!"

Together we make our way to the dressing rooms and both slip inside an individual room. I place my bags down and remove my blue and white daisy dress, slipping it off over my head and hanging it on a nearby hook. After removing the hopeful graduation dress from the hanger and after unzipping it, I bring it down and step into it. Bringing it up my body, I slip my arms inside the sleeveless arms and do my best to zip up the back.

My hands run along the crochet fabric and the intricate patterns it creates. It has a plunging V-neckline and cinches in at my waist and fans out around my hips. As I twirl around in the mirror it fans out and makes me feel like a princess. I'm officially sold but I still have to get the approval from my best friend.

I step out, fixing my long straight hair so that it rests over my shoulders, and spot Caroline. She's standing in front of the three-way full length mirror on a raised platform, turning this way and that and flipping her hair with her hands on her hips. The dress looks stunning on her and fits her like a glove.

"That's it," I say. "That's the dress."

Caroline smiles, mumbling a thank you, and then her eyes widen when she notices me in the mirror. "Look at you! That dress is gorgeous!"

She moves over enough that we can both fit up on the platform and puts her arm around mine. We look at each other and I wonder if she's thinking the same thing I am: _we look grown up_. Some point in our growing up, we actually did it. We look ready to leave high school behind us and tackle real life. Ready to move on from this small town. Ready to step out from the control of our parents and make some decisions of our own; become our own people.

Though I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my daily dose of my best friend.

"What am I going to do without you next year?" Caroline says, echoing my thoughts and squeezing my shoulder.

I give her a frown because I am going to miss her so much. "Probably the same thing I'll be doing: missing you."

"You in the busy city of New York with Damon and me stuck all alone at Whitmore just a few towns over. I think we know who'll be having more fun."

I reach my arm over and hug her fiercely. Caroline could've truly gone anywhere she wanted—even joined me in New York at NYU—but she wanted to stay close to her mom. And even though I'm going to miss her, I can't fault her for being there for her mom.

"Oh, isn't this sweet," a familiar voice says. "Like you two won't FaceTime and visit each other as much as you can. It's _just_ college."

Caroline and I release each other and face Katherine, who just so happens to be wearing the exact same dress I am. The smirk on her face tells me she finds it amusing that we match. "Why are you in that?" I say.

"We should totally take a photo like this!" she mocks. "Mom would totally _die_. Remember when she used to make us match for those _adorable_ twin shots."

"And you want to relive that?" I challenge. No one hated those twin shots more than my sister. She hates doing anything my parents say. Hence he self-acclaimed title of the "bad-twin".

Katherine taps her finger against her chin, making her way over to the mirror and checking herself out. "Not particularly. But I'm up for a game of Who Wore It Better."

"It's not exactly your style, Kat," Caroline says. "No black. No leather. No attitude."

"Funny, Blondie."

"Just saying," Caroline shrugs, not even bothering to hide her contempt for my sister.

My best friend has heard enough horror stories from me to know that with Katherine there is _always_ an angle, always a trick up her sleeve. She's been an eye-witness to most of them. Some point in growing up, Katherine and I grew apart. I still to this day am not exactly sure when it happened. Probably some point after I was the first one to walk. All I know is there was a point where Katherine stopped being the closest person in my life and became my biggest enemy.

There's a reason her and Caroline don't get along.

Caroline took my sisters spot.

Katherine makes her way to the mirror, eyeing herself in the dress. She fluffs her tight curls and runs her hands along the sides of her body, studying the way the material clings to her chest, waist and hips before it flares out all the way to her mid-thigh. It looks exactly the same way it does on me, except my chest doesn't fill out quite the way Kat's does. Granted, I'm not wearing a push up bra.

With the dark, smoky make-up on her face, the softness of the dress clashes. It's not my sister. She knows this. But all her faux smiles and dance in front of the mirror is reminding me that if she wanted she could buy this and I'd be forced to start back at square one. I see this confirmed in the smirk she's giving me.

"I think you're right. Too innocent for me." She sashays away from the mirror making her way towards her dressing room at the far end of the room, already unzipping her dress and revealing the black lace bra and underwear underneath. "Perfect dress for sweet Elena. I'm sure Mom will _love_ it."

Her dressing room door closes behind her, and I exhale in relief. Though as I look in mirror at the dress I once believed as perfect, all I can hear are my twin-sisters words screaming back at me. _Innocent. Sweet. Perfect._ I'm leaving high school the exact same way I entered it. Is that really all I want to be remembered for? Planning the perfect event. Having perfect grades. Being the perfect daughter. Having the _perfect_ life.

Before I can let Katherine's words dig too deep, Caroline speaks. "Don't let her get to you. That dress is gorgeous!"

"You're right." I say, letting my confidence build its way back up. Katherine is always getting under my skin and making me second guess myself. Something about our upcoming graduation just must be messing with my head.

Caroline reaches for her phone that she slipped down the front of her dress and steps off the platform and makes me pose for a photo. After she finishes snapping away I see her fingers quickly tapping on the screen and she only pauses for a few seconds before turning towards me with a bright smile, showing me the screen. The name and response is enough to push aside any doubt I had.

 **Damon Salvatore:** _Is my girl fucking beautiful or what? Please tell me she's buying that one…_

"See?" Caroline says with a knowing smile on her face. "Damon approves."

It was all I needed.

* * *

"You know what lace does to me," Damon growls, his hands moving south.

My hands slide up his bare chest. "It's not lace. It's crochet."

"Semantics."

I giggle as my lips kiss his Adams apple, causing Damon to release a quiet moan. We're sprawled out on his bed with a whole night ahead of us. After Damon's texts for me to rush over after I dropped Caroline off, I was more than happy to. His bed is much bigger than mine; even bigger than a California King. And it leaves plenty of room for… _activities_.

"Well you see," I say, bringing his hand to brush over the lace of my panties, "Lace is flimsy, easy to tear. Crochet," I continue, my hand cupping him, "is _much_ harder."

Groaning, Damon grunts. "Whatever the fuck it is, it looked hot as hell on you."

"Thank you," I reply, slipping my hand inside his briefs and massaging him.

Damon's mouth covers mine and we lose ourselves to instinct. It isn't long until there isn't a single article of clothing between us and all I can feel is his skin against mine and the feeling of his heartbeat racing along with mine.

I'm straddling him as our bodies move together. Despite the hurry to reach this point, our movements are slow and purposeful. He's hitting me in all the right spots with each movement of his hips. My cries are quiet and swallowed up by his mouth as we kiss lazily. Our bodies are covered in a thin sheen of sweat and were practically stuck together but I couldn't care less. I don't want to stop. I don't want this ever to end. Does it really have to?

I've reached my peak and toppled down it over and over but this time I can feel him chasing it with me. I need him too. Despite my need for this to continue into eternity, I need to feel him pulsing inside of me, hear his sounds as he chases this with me. He's moans are deep and guttural and I feel every vibration of his tone at every nerve ending.

His body falls back against the bed and I let my hips guide us, it's my turn to take control. His one hand gathers up my hair, pulling it tight as his other grips my ass, spurring on the circle of my hips against him. Damon's cursing now, mumbling profanities amongst his praise for my hips, my ass, my chest. It all finishes in a searing kiss that has familiar tautness gathering in my abdomen and shooting out towards my fingers and toes.

It has me going weak, limb-y, and that's when Damon thrusts up one final time. I collapse on top of his and he holds me to him, neither of us ready to end the connection. He releases my hair and massages my scalp, kissing me and telling me how much he loves me.

"How am I ever going to want to go to class with you at home?" I whisper, dancing my fingers along his bicep.

I both feel and hear him sigh. " _Home_."

My head perks up, resting on his chest so I can stare at him. "Yes. _Our home_. In New York."

"I know," he teases, tapping my nose. "It just feels good to hear you say it. I haven't felt that in a long time."

"What?" I ask, confused. I ease myself off of him, resting beside him in the nook of his chest and arm.

"Home." My reaction spurs more of his response. "This house is ancient. Passed down from Salvatore to Salvatore. It's dark and dusty. But when my mother was alive it was so bright and full of life. Now it's void of all of it."

My arm wraps around his body and I hug him. "I'm sorry, Damon."

Damon knows so much pain that it's difficult for me to truly relate. I've never really lost anyone. Especially not the way he has. Both my parents are alive and very much invested in my life and well-being. He doesn't have that. Not with the physical loss of his mother and the emotional disconnect of his father.

Still I try to be there for him. I'm capable of feeling that pain for him because the way he feels so deeply makes it hard not to. It's as if I've experienced it myself.

"Our home," he sighs and I can hear his smile in his voice. "Our home will have that life because it'll have you."

"It'll have _us_ ," I correct.

"Semantics," he teases.

Just as I'm about to tease him back and start things up again the familiar sound of tires on gravel cause us both to freeze. Damon hops up from the bed and struts to his window. It takes one word from him to know who it is. "Shit."

Still, I have to make sure. "What's wrong?"

"He said he would be out all night with one of his girls. He's never home this early."

I sit up and reach for Damon's shirt at the foot of the bed, putting it on to cover myself. As Damon reaches down to grab his jeans, he throws me my underwear and I slip them on just as he zips up. The anxiety is written all over his features.

Deep down I know it's not me, not because I'm here. Not because of what we've obviously been doing. It all has to do with his strained relationship with his father. Damon and his father Giuseppe have merely tolerated each other since the loss of Lily Salvatore. In the handful of times I have come across him, he merely noticed my presence. I know the reason Damon is all worked up is because his father coming home early means a bad date—if you can call it that—and a bad date means Giuseppe is in a bad mood.

Damon moves to the door. As he reaches for the knob, he turns towards me. "Lock this and don't open it for anyone but me."

I nod as he slips out, letting the door fall close behind him. Once I hear his feet retreating down the hall I make my way to the door and lock it closed like he asked. The only thing to do now is to wait for him to get back. I make my way over to the bed and sit cross-legged as I stare at the door. This isn't the first time I've been at Damon's house while his father's been home but it is the first time that I've had to stay locked up in my boyfriend's room because of it.

The whole situation has me on edge. I can't imagine what Damon's going through downstairs.

Its twenty minutes before Damon finally knocks on the door, letting me know it's him. I stride over and unlock it and open it up for him and he pushes inside, locking it closed. His body is tense, hair disarrayed but no sign that he's been harmed. I hate myself for even considering it. Damon's father may be distant but I don't think he's ever physically hurt Damon. Like Caroline, it's just the emotional pain which can sometimes hurt worse.

My arms reach up for him and he shrugs out of my touch. Very unlike him.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

He lets out a laugh devoid of humor. "No, Elena. Everything is not okay."

"Talk to me. Help me understand."

He steps away from me, hands in his hair—his telltale sign of stress. "Help you understand," he says to me. "How could you possibly understand? You come from this idyllic home with two parents who love you and care about you and have you're whole future planned. I don't even have a parent who cares what I'm up to or how school is going. We live completely different lives. Are we id—?"

My face must be full of hurt because it stops his rant. Damon can only stare at me as his words register. Nothing about how lives have changed in the past year and yet now it's suddenly an issue. Something's wrong. "Damon, what did your father say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just Dear ole' Dad telling me what a screw-up I am. How I'll never amount to anything."

"That's not true," I tell him, reaching for him. This time he lets me touch him. "Doesn't he see how much you've changed? How you're not in trouble anymore? How good your grades are? When we get to New York you could go to college, Damon."

He stares at me. "I'm not a college boy, Elena."

"I-I'm not saying that. I'm just saying you _could_."

"Don't you start on me, too," Damon says, pulling back from my touch. "Am I not good enough for you either? Do I not fit into your five year plan?"

I'm shaking my head, wanting to go back in time before Giuseppe showed up and ruined our night. How did this all suddenly spin out of control? When did our perfect night get so ruined? "I'm just trying to say you're more than what your father thinks of you."

Damon sighs and makes his way to the edge of his bed, sitting down. His eyes are trained on the floor and his breaths are coming in long, drawn-out breaths. He's trying to calm down. Instead of reaching for him like I want to, I hang back near the door, arms crossed over my chest. I'm very aware that I'm still wearing Damon's Mayday Parade concert tee and nothing else. I'm exposed in more ways than one.

Finally, his eyes meet mine. "I just don't have a plan like you do. I don't have a family like you do."

"And that's okay," I reply, taking a tentative step towards him. "I'm not asking you to."

He nods, accepting this. "I don't know if I'll ever have a plan like you want me to."

I'm taken aback for a second because as much as I love Damon for who he is, I also want him to have a drive and make something of himself. It's too soon to ask this of him now, not when he's just started getting his life on track. But I'm a planner and I want to plan our futures together. I don't want him following me around as I pursue mine. I want him to dream right along with me.

But this isn't what Damon needs from me right now. He needs to know that I love him no matter what. Which despite everything I'm feeling, I do.

"All I know is that I love you."

"And I love you," he replies.

"Then," I say, taking a few more steps so I'm standing in front of him, "that's all we need."

He smiles and wraps his arms around me, pressing his head against my chest. My hands lose themselves in his hair. We stay like that for several minutes, letting Damon's interaction with his father and our fight dissipate from the room. I lock it away, not wanting to think about it.

"Can we go to bed?" he asks, quietly. "I'm drained."

I nod, pushing his head back and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Together we separate and climb into his bed and then find each other once again under the covers. Damon on his back and me tucked into his side with one arm splayed over his chest. No more words are said that night and soon enough Damon falls asleep.

But I'm still wide awake when I hear Giuseppe's footsteps come up the stairs. He pauses in front of Damon's door and I see his shadow blocking the hallway light. Damon's father stays there for several seconds before he continues on, turning off the light and disappearing into this own room down the hall.

It has me wondering if Damon's father is hiding a secret of his own. It's obvious that he's hiding his pain with women in the way Caroline's father drowned himself in alcohol. But something changed tonight. Something that caused him to lash out at Damon.

Damon won't be able to move on with his life until he fixes things with his father and stops feeling neglected by him. He won't be able to become the man I dream he could be until they fix their relationship.

There wasn't any hope of salvaging what had been a perfect night, but there was hope for Damon.

There has to be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: This chapter got a bit of an update since somehow Chapter 3 was misplaced and accidentally Chapter 4 was repeated twice. So if you're rereading this it may seem a little bit (a lot) different. The main themes are there but obviously things are different because I had to rewrite the chapter. And on that note I've backed up all the other chapters so it won't happen again.**

 **If you're reading for the first time… well… enjoy! You won't notice anything different so you can just enjoy it how it is instead of feeling like the revised version doesn't match up to the original which at 3:35 am as I'm writing this it feels like it doesn't. Hopefully you feel different… if so you can always review and let know ;)**

* * *

"Say cheese!"

I roll my eyes, dropping my arms and grasping my cap. "That's so lame, Damon."

He shakes his head and sticks out his tongue before putting his phone out again and waiting for me to pose. I give him a little huff and make a big show of it before a real smile graces my face and I throw both my arms out—one high in the air holding my cap and the other out dramatically at my side still grasping my graduation gown—and drop my mouth open in a scream as my boyfriend snaps the photo.

Damon smiles as he looks at the screen. "That's background worthy."

I watch as he taps away on the phone and by the time I skip my way over to him, he's set it as his background for everyone to see. His girl— _the graduate_ —and he's smiling down at the photo with his face full of so much pride I'm afraid he'll burst.

But it's me who should be proud of him. I reach up, using his shoulder for support and plant a kiss on his cheek. "We did it, Damon. Mystic Falls High School Graduates!"

His eyes turn on mine and I can feel the weight in his words before he's even spoken them. "I wouldn't have made it here without you."

"It was all you," I tell him, honestly. Because it was. HE put in the hard work and extra credit and managed to somehow get through this year with a pretty decent report card. Sure, I pushed him and helped him but it took Damon really dedicating himself to get here. "You just need someone to believe in you."

He slips his phone into his pocket and I take a moment to look at him draped in a tacky cardinal red graduation gown that he now has unzipped, his cap still on his head, and a black tie and dress shirt underneath. My boyfriend looks so grown up and ready to tackle the world no matter how unknown his future is. I'm a little jealous of his bravery—I'm not sure I could ever do something like that.

Damon wraps his arms around me and I flick the top of his cap before linking my hands behind his neck. "I love you, Elena Gilbert," he says, leaning forward to kiss me.

"I love you, too, Damon Salvatore," I whisper back before I melt into his kiss.

At least I tried until my best friend interrupted us. "Get a room!"

We slowly pull apart and Damon smirks at Caroline. "In three short months we'll have a whole apartment."

Caroline frowns. "Do we have to talk about 'Lena leaving me already? I'm not sure I can handle it."

I frown and race over to her, hugging her fiercely. "I'm not leaving yet. This is going to be the most amazing summer ever!"

"Hell yes we are!" she cheers, shaking us from side to side. "Best one ever!"

We pull apart and Damon has us pose for a picture with a football field of our classmates behind us and then I hear Caroline's mom yelling at us to stay in place so she can grab a shot with her camera. We all laugh and turn around as Caroline's parents and my own make their way over and with some quick hugs and congratulations a craziness of photography begins.

There's so much smiling and way too many photos until I'm realizing who's missing from this shot. "Where's Katherine?"

Damon looks down at his phone. "I texted her. She's on her way."

"Correction: She's here."

I turn around to see my sister walking towards us with her gown unzipped and a black A-line dress underneath. She was beside me the whole graduation and we even held hands as we moved our tassels over and officially became graduates. It's not like we've suddenly forgiven everything but for some reason there's this sense of ending in the air and I can't help but want to share it with her.

"Good," I smile. "Now we can get the real family photo."

My parents slowly make their way towards us and hand their camera to Damon. He steps back as Katherine and I stand in the middle of our parents, one arm wrapped around each other and the other clinging to a parent; me, our father, and Katherine, our mouther. As Damon positions the camera we all smile wide and he takes the shot. After a few more clicks, we break apart and I watch my father take the camera back from Damon and my mother just touch my sister on the arm and wish her congratulations. No hug, no kiss; none of the warmth and love they gave to me. A part of me wonders if this is how it's always been—or maybe it's just something I'm now noticing.

"Are we ready for dinner?" my father says. "We only have a little while before you kids are off to dinner."

I nod as my eyes look over at Damon. He's typing away on his phone, brow furrowed and jaw clenched. Something's wrong and I can't help but wonder if it has something to do with Giuseppe hanging around Damon's door the other night. Damon's father clearly had something on his mind and I can't help but wonder what. I just hope that whatever it is, creates a stronger bond between Damon and his father instead of tearing them further apart.

"Is everything okay?" I ask when I reach him.

He shakes his head. "Giuseppe had to get back to the office; can't even take the day off for my graduation."

Frowning, I respond, "At least he was here. He saw you walk across that stage."

"Yeah," he says. Then he shrugs his shoulders. "So, I'll pick you up after dinner?"

I shake my head. There's no way I'm leaving Damon after his father just bailed on their dinner plans. "No, you're coming." I turn my attention to my Dad who is waiting over my Caroline's moms. "Daddy, can Damon join us?"

My father stares at Damon a moment. My parents don't exactly approve of my choice in boyfriend but when it became clear that this was one thing I wasn't going to budge on, they relented—choosing instead to wait for inevitable downfall. Which thankfully never happened.

In a life where every choice of mine from college to career to everything I can think up, Damon is the one thing that I chose for myself. It's not that I don't like following the carefully laid path my parents have planned out for me, it's just that there are some things they just can't control. Like whom I fall in love with, for example.

"Of course he can come. But let's get a move on. We don't want to be late."

There's nothing more said and besides an exasperated look from Damon, we all make our way out to dinner. As we're headed towards the cars, I see Katherine link her arm in Damon's and whisper, "At least I won't be the most hated person at that table."

And Damon laughs.

* * *

"What are you cooking, Mom?" I ask, wandering in after taking a shower in my parents bathroom since Katherine was busy in ours.

My mother turns around from the oven with a tray full of freshly baked homemade cinnamon rolls and my eyes close and I deeply inhale. I've been obsessed with them since I was little and my mom and been making them almost weekly ever since I finalized my plans for New York. It's almost like she's trying to remind me what I'll be missing.

Especially considering there's no way I'll be able to recreate waking up the smell of her cinnamon rolls in the oven. "Are you trying to keep me here forever?"

She smiles. "No, just trying to make sure you visit."

I watch as she uses a knife and spreads on the icing and I can't even wait for them to cool long enough before I reach for one, taking a huge bite and practically moaning over how good they are. If only Damon could hear me now, he'd be hitting my mom up for the recipe so he could make them daily for me when we get to the city. "These are _so_ good," I moan, chewing a bite.

"Elena, manners!"

Grabbing hold of napkin, I cover my mouth and mumble, "Sorry."

My mother hands me a fork and I place the cinnamon roll on the plate she hands with it and instead of stuffing the thing in my face, eat it like the debutant I am.

I eat the rest of my meal in piece as my mom cleans up the kitchen. Part of me wonders what he life will be like now that Katherine and I are graduated. I'm not a hundred percent sure what my sister's plans are but I know she won't want to live here long. My mom has always been a wife and mother for as long as I can remember. She keeps busy with her Historical Society work and her book clubs, and being the wife of the town doctor but she's always had us to keep her busy when all of that was done. I wonder if she'll set out and do something of her own or continue being Mrs. Dr. Grayson Gilbert.

From the stories she used to tell me from when she was young, she had quite the future ahead of her until she met my father—or until Grandma Sommers pushed her into a successful marriage. It's not that I can tell she's unhappy, but I know that she wants for me what she was never able to do: have the husband and the career. And with everything my father has been drilling into me since I was young, partnered with all the etiquette classes and cooking classes, I'm expected to earn my doctorate while getting my M. R. S.

"Do you have any plans for today?" my mother asks as she works on scrubbing a pan.

I dance a little in my chair. "Damon and I have plans."

She sighs. "Don't you think you should spend some time without Damon? You two will see enough of each other in New York."

"He's my boyfriend, Mom."

"For now," she says.

This is a touchy subject between us—one of the few times we actually argue. " _Mom_ ," I warn. "Don't start."

She turns towards me. "Elena, you spend all this time with this boy and you're planning on living with him. What exactly does he plan on doing while you're in school? You can't be getting distracted by him."

My eyes drop down to my plate. I hate that she's voicing the concerns I have about Damon's move to New York. I want to move with him and share this experience but I can't help but wonder if it's the right thing for us. Will he start to hate me for uprooting his life? What will happen if I'm too busy and he demands more of my time? This is all going to be so much different than our life here that I'm worried about what it'll do to us.

While I'm moving forward with my life, how is Damon going to handle be stuck in the same place only in a new city.

But I can't let my mother know this. So, instead I just say what Damon has been saying to me. "He has a job here where he works with this hands. He plans on finding something like that in the city."

I can read the disapproval all on her face. She always expected me to end up with some big shot lawyer or doctor, that choosing to be with Damon seems to always be falling short. It's not even his fault, it's just their high expectations. To be honest, I may be worried now but I know somehow Damon will figure it out. I just hope we don't lose each other in the process.

"And that's what you want for yourself?" my mother says.

"I love him, Mom."

Instead of answering, she just shakes her head and sighs. "Can you go check if your father's ready?" my mom asks as she wipes her hands off on her apron after she places the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. "We promised the Fell's we would meet them for golf."

It's only now that I realize the khaki pants and polo she's wearing. With one last bite, I bounce off the kitchen island chair I've been sitting in and make my way towards the family room where my father is reading the paper, grateful for the distance. "If you're ready, Mom is."

It's when I reach the family room and look out the front window that I notice Damon's car out front. I see no sign of him walking up the walkway or hanging out on the porch. Is he here? Wouldn't someone have mentioned that?

My father must have folded up his paper and stood because he's standing behind me, arms crossed and face curious as he notices my frantic searching about our property. "Looking for someone?"

"Is… Is Damon here?"

He nods. "Showed up while you were in the shower. He asked if he could wait in your room."

"Oh!"

I don't even bother to excuse myself as I turn around and make my way upstairs, confused as to why no one thought to tell me. It doesn't matter. If Damon's here that means we can leave. Even if my parents are going out, getting out of this house means I don't have to linger any longer on what my mom said about my boyfriend and our future together. I can just lose myself in being with him and focus on being positive on our future together.

As I step into the hallway, I notice my door is ajar and I can see Damon standing there, facing towards the bathroom, looking strange. I almost burst right inside but I'm halter by the sound of my sister's voice. "Can you get me a towel?"

 _Excuse me?_

I push open the door and see my sister standing their naked, dripping wet and gathering up her hair to rest over her left shoulder. She isn't bothering to cover herself in front of Damon or have the decency to yell for one through the door. And what makes it worse is my boyfriend is just standing there in some kind of stupor.

 _What the fuck?_

Damon turns towards me—quicker than I've ever seen him—and does a double take between me and my sister. _Did I just say that out loud?_ Oh, who cares. What's worse than my boyfriend staring at my sister naked is my boyfriend thinking it was me.

Katherine gives a little smirk when she notices me and reaches behind my door to where I have some towels hanging on a hook. "Got it!"

She saunters out of the room and through the bathroom and closes her side of the door behind her. My eyes slide over to Damon's who is staring at me with wide, guilty eyes and I can't help but turn out of the room and march my way down the hall. I can't get the image of Damon staring at my sister's naked body out of my head. How could he possibly think it was me? I know that we're twins but he's known both of us for a long time and he should know the difference.

I hear his footsteps behind me and his voice as he quietly whispers, "She called me into the room. I thought she was you."

"All she does is lie!"

"Elena!" he yells as I reach the top of the stairs. "Stop!"

I turn towards him, finger pointed straight at his chest. "What's worse is I expect this from Katherine; but you? How could you not tell the difference?"

"You father said you were in the shower. I just assumed…"

"Well, you know what they say, Damon…"

And he has the decency to smirk. "Are you calling me an ass and insulting yourself at the same time?"

"Oh I'm thinking much worse. Believe me."

He reaches forward and places his hands on my shoulders. "I know the difference between you and your sister."

"Then why were you staring at her?"

"Because it's fucking nine in the morning and you Gilberts start your days way to early. I was half asleep on your bed and I heard someone call my name. I thought it was you."

My eyes narrow. "Do you have something with Katherine, Damon?"

"No. Elena, no. I love you."

My arms cross over my chest as I try to keep myself together as I own up to one of my fears. "She gets a part of you I don't. I could see how something like that could be hard to break."

I hate to admit it—my heart breaks at the thought—but it's something that has always bothered me. Damon and Katherine have a past and a connection I could never understand. He's always trying to get me to make up with my sister; saying over and over how if I just let her explain her behavior would make sense. But how could anything she say make sense when she continues to do things like this?

And to think we've been getting along lately.

"Elena, no one—and I mean _no one_ —has a hold on me like you do. It's early, I was confused. I messed up but I know the difference between you and your sister. You're like night and day to me. Katherine tries to pull me into the darkness and you," he reaches up and cups my chin, thumb brushing against my cheek, "you continue to bring me into the light."

My eyes meet his and I can tell he means every word of it but I can't help how mad I am; how enraged. What I walked in on has been my worse fear since Damon and I got together. I used to always think Damon and Katherine were dating before he told me otherwise. It took a long time before I could accept him into my life, and now that he's here I'm scared to lose him.

Scared Katherine could take him from me.

"I messed up, Elena. Please forgive me?"

His eyes are so open that I can't help but forgive him. I believe everything he's been saying and even though I'm still mad I know who my anger should really be aimed at. There's only one person in that room who knew what they were doing and it's my sister.

"Fine," I say, with a huff.

Damon embraces me and I hug him back. "Can we just get out of here? Start this day over?"

I pull back from him. "You better have quite the Saturday planned."

"How does a State Fair and you kicking my ass in bumper cars sound?"

And I can't help but smile. He's right, we need to restart this day and put it behind us. Put Katherine behind us. As pissed as I am, I can only imagine how Damon must feel that his former best friend just tried to mess with his relationship. I can only hope it's as mad as I'm imagining. Mad enough to finally understand that despite those rare moments of hope, my sister can't be redeemed. She's just done too much damage.

So, taking my anger and frustration towards my sister out on some poor unsuspecting strangers by hitting them over and over again with a sparkly car sounds like the perfect way to spend the day.

"You're on the right track…" I say, sliding my hands up his arms that resting against my waist.

"I'll throw in some of those bucket full of cookies you love so much and mac and cheese for lunch," he smiles.

"Getting there…."

His cheeks scrunch up and I can't believe how flirty were being now after yelling at each other seconds before. "Whack-a-Mole?"

"Can it be Whack-a-Twin?"

He laughs. "Whatever you want."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Miles To Home

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: I think some of you will have opinions about this so I'll see you down below...**

* * *

Sunlight kisses my skin and the sweet smell of saltwater drifts towards me in the light breeze. I've been coming to this beach for as long as I can remember and I am still as in love with it since the first time my feet met the water. I've made memories from my family vacations and day trips with Caroline and they're always full of bright sun and laughter. It's amazing how relaxing the simple act of watching waves crash against the sand over and over again can be. I remember reading a quote once about how someone believed the waves continued to try and kiss the shore and the beach continuously and harshly sent it away. But I have never seen it that way. The swift, clear caress of water over sand and the way the covered beach absorbs it into itself is much more beautiful than the cruelty of that view.

It's a dance that has been going on for as long as there has been water and land and the moon. And still the waves continue, never leaving the damp beach for long. Coming back each time a little different than it left it.

I feel Damon's hand pushing back my hair from my face and I turn my view from the water to the man beside me and peer at him through my sunglasses. His full smile is enough to sputter my heartbeat and as my eyes take in the sight of him bare-chested and in a pair of black trunks resting low on his hips I feel my heart race. He looks completely relaxed beside me and I can't believe that it was only a few weeks ago that we were dealing with the aftermath of my sisters trick.

Since then she has been noticeable absent from home. Not that I've ventured into asking. But I hear my parents talking about how she spends all her time at parties and with Mason. Not that I care. The less I see of her the better.

Instead, I focus on the fact that I have this gorgeous man beside me who loves me and is moving to New York with me in just a few short weeks. We have to enjoy this wide open, small town living until we're living in the crowded streets of the city. Part of me is going to miss home terribly. It's the only place I've ever known. But another side is just excited for this adventure.

And the fact that I get to bring along a piece of home with me.

I catch Damon's hand as it drops from my face and link it with my own, squeezing tight.

"Having fun?"

He smiles and nods, leaning forward and kissing me quickly on the lips. "And the view isn't too bad either."

His eyes drop down to my coral bikini and he smirks in a way that makes me practically moan. I playfully shove him away before ruffling up his already messy hair. Damon laughs and it's so light and effortless that I tug back on his hand and pull him towards me, kissing him firmly. Something about Damon's smiles do wicked things to me.

I guess it's because of all that he's told me about his past. It's almost as if for every smile he gives me, it mends a shattered piece of his past. Because I remember the Damon I first met and knew of. The one who deflected and gave closed lipped smiles. The one who eventually opened up and let me in. The one who now smiles for real now, toothy and wide and full of crinkles.

When he smiles like that, we're on even ground. He's not the boy with the troubled family life and I'm not the girl with her life all together. We're just happy. Together. Carefree. No past. No planned future. No expectations or broken dreams. My need for perfection and Damon's imperfections come together and make something beautiful. Something that teaches me to see past perception to the true beauty and value of a person beneath.

Damon becomes more than the former bad boy with the troubled past and I shed my labels as perfectionist, head cheerleader, valedictorian, prom queen. I stop overanalyzing a moment and chose instead to experience it. And it's all thanks to those smiles.

When we finally pull apart, our foreheads connect and we just stay like that, taking breaths and letting all of the built up tension out.

"I love your smiles," I whisper to him and he awards me with another one.

Damon pulls back to press a quick kiss to the tip of my nose. So sweet. So tender. So unlike the version of himself that everyone else knows. This is the side of himself he shows to me. Where his walls are down and everything he's feeling is written on his face.

It's why it was so easy to believe him when he said he knows the difference between my sister and me. The reason I believe that whatever him and Katherine had was just a shared understanding, not anything more. One look into Damon's eyes and I know I'm the only girl he loves. No question about it.

Despite what my sister tries to pull.

My hand cups his face, my thumb caressing his cheek. I'm about to lean in again and lose myself in his kiss when the sound of Damon's phone halts us both. He sighs and fishes his phone out of the zippered pocket on the arm of his chair and pulls it close enough to read the caller ID.

The tension in his body is evident as he swipes to answer and places the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

I can't hear the other end of the conversation but judging by Damon's change in demeanor and the firm set of his jaw, I can only assume that it's his father. He's the only person who could get my boyfriend this agitated and edgy. All I can do is sit beside Damon, holding his hand, while I wait to see what this phone call is about.

"We're at the beach… Yes, that one…. No, it'll take longer than that… I don't know… Why do you need me back? Since when do you care what I'm up to?... I am going to act like that… No… I said no. I'll be home when I'm home… Don't play the role of caring father now… Cause you never have!... Whatever. I have to go… No. Bye."

And he hangs up the phone, sliding it back into the zippered slot. His hand pulls from mine as he leans forwards to rest his elbows on his knees and place his face in his hands. My hand reaches for him, and I see the slight flinch before he gives in to my touch.

It seems to be a common thing now with Damon. Whenever I see a part of his life that he's ashamed of, he pulls away from me. The wall that he's let down for me slides back up with one fight with his father, one glimpse of imperfection. I have to find a way to mend our differences. Let him know that just because we grew up in very different homes doesn't mean he can't let me in. Can't talk to me.

"Damon? Do you want to head home? Does your father need you?"

He barks out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, he _needs_ me," he says sarcastically.

"It just sounded like he needed you to come home. That's okay if we have to."

His hands drop from his face and he scoffs. "I don't jump and run when my father calls me, Elena. You may be more than happy to be your parents little lap dog but I'm not. Oh, I'm sorry…my _parent_ because I only have one."

His words hurt me and I remove my hand from his back and lean into my chair, crossing my arms over my body. All I was trying to do was be helpful and try to understand him but that wall of deflection is up in full force like a steel wall between us. Any words I may have had for him die in my mouth at his remark.

Our perfect little beach day ruined.

"I want to go home now."

Damon is already standing up and folding up his chair, gathering the cooler and our chairs before the words leave my mouth. His haste has me jumping up and throwing on his All Time Low concert tee that I borrowed this morning and folding up my Tommy Bahama chair and slipping it on to my back before reaching down to grab hold of my Havana flip flops. Damon is ready—still shirtless—and waiting for me by the time I'm settled and the anger on his face has me just walking in front of him without another word.

We make it into his car wordlessly and the hour long drive back to Mystic Falls is handled in much the same way.

In silence.

* * *

I'm sitting cross-legged on my bed, writing in my diary about this morning's fight with Damon. I just can't believe how quickly everything dissolved. It had been an easy, fun day and then with one call from Giuseppe, we were suddenly at odds with each other. Our differences creating such a rift between us that we could barely even talk.

Instead Damon dropped me off and only stayed long enough to see me step inside my house. Then he sped off down the street without so much as a wave. It has me feeling empty. I don't know what this means for us. We've never not been able to talk it out. Damon has never been so dismissive before.

What's killing me is this isn't even a fight stemmed from either of us. It was a phone call with his father that set him on edge and in my attempt to reach out to him it pulled us apart. As I pour my heart on the pages of my worn diary, my eyes flicker over and over towards my phone. Not a text. Not a phone call. Nothing to tell me that we're going to be alright.

I hear the faucet turn on in the adjoining bathroom my sister and I share and i cringe. The last thing I need is a run in with her today.

Instead I turn on my TV and just keep writing out my feelings since right now Damon doesn't care nor want to hear them. At some point I'm out of words and I close the book and slip it underneath my mattress, focusing instead on an old rerun of Friends where the whole gang is getting ready for Ross's dinner and all Joey wants him to do is drink the fat.

It isn't until a knock on my bedroom door makes me realize that I'm six episodes in and I haven't moved.

With a quick stretch, I walk over to the door and unlock it. I open it, slowly, revealing Damon standing there looking lost and distraught. Despite the urge to slam the door on his face, I step aside and let him walk in, closing the door and locking it up behind him. Then I just stand there, arms folded, foot tapping, waiting for him to begin what I'm hoping is one hell of an apology.

"Elena, I… There's something I need to tell you."

I balk at him. "Something to tell me? Well, I hope it's an apology."

"An apology?" He seems confused.

"Yes. An apology. For earlier today. For how dismissive you were!"

"Dismissive? Elena, I just had a lot on my mind. You don't understand."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, here we go again. How am I supposed to understand if you don't let me in?"

"Because how could you possibly understand?" There's desperation in his eyes. "You're parents have been planning your life since the day you were born. Mine stopped caring."

"But I care! And that means I want to be a part of your life. I want you to talk to me, not push me away cause you're ashamed."

"Ashamed?" His eyes flare at me, the bright blue burning like the center of a flame. "And why wouldn't I be? You tried to make me this perfect boyfriend for you. I had to stop my ways, get my grades up… be _worthy_ of you. This isn't who I am, Elena! I'm not a good guy."

My eyes search his face. He's never been this way with me. We've fought over who he was and who I wanted him to be. But he's never acted like I forced him into being something he's not. It's always been followed by thanks for helping him get out from the dark place he was living in before me. I've never heard him filled with such disdained for making him a better man.

Before I can get words out to prove to him how wrong he is, there's a knock at the door. I'm frozen in place, my eyes on Damon as my mind tries to make sense of where all of this is coming from. He had something to say to me before my anger and hurt got in the way of it. Now here we are fighting and I can't make myself stop.

Damon doesn't seem as frozen as I am because he goes over to the door and opens it. I take my eyes off of him to see my twin sister standing in the doorway, her hair straight and dressed casually in jean shorts, green tank and black cardigan. Not her style at all. In fact I think the cardigan is mine.

She smiles at us, placing her one hand on her hip before asking, "Are you two love birds fighting already? I thought you two were way past the shower debacle."

Damon's head falls against the door as he groans, "Katherine."

My sister giggles at his discomfort causing me to shoot daggers at her with my eyes. This catches her attention and she saunters into my room and gestures to her outfit. "Not very me, is it?"

I roll my eyes. "That might be because everything except for the shorts are mine."

"Oh, that must be it. Looks like Mom switched up our laundry." She gives a little knowing smile that lets me know it wasn't Mom who messed it up. She's been rummaging through my closet again.

I sigh. "What do you want Katherine?"

She shrugs, making her way towards our adjoining bathrooms and unlocking the door, pushing it open. "Just wondering what all the yelling was about." Her hand knocks against the wood door. "These walls aren't exactly soundproof, you know."

"I'm aware of that."

She kinks her one shoulder. "Just try to keep it down. I want to get some sleep before Mason's party tonight."

"Will do," I respond, curtly.

Katherine gives me a little wink and heads into the bathroom. Just before she closes the door I see her grab for her curling wand and give us both a little wave. Then suddenly the room is filled with silence and my eyes wander back over to where Damon is standing by the open door looking like he's ready to bolt.

I sigh. "Can we just start over? What did you want to tell me?"

My voice seems to have snapped him from his own thoughts because I notice his body jump before his eyes gaze back towards the hallway. "I'm no good for you, Elena. I'm no good for anyone."

And with that he turns and heads out of my room. I cry out his name but it does little to stop his quick descent down my stairs and out of my house; leaving me more confused than I was before he came.

* * *

"And then he just left?"

I nod, digging my spoon into the small pint of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. Caroline is just staring at me with her spoon filled of Cherry Garcia in absolute puzzlement. It seems I'm not the only one lost with my boyfriend's behavior today.

"I tried calling him, texting him." I sigh. "No response."

"This isn't like him. You two have fought before but never like this." She shakes her head. "Something happened with his Dad."

"That's what I'm thinking." I bring the spoon to my mouth. "But what? He was about to tell me before I went off on him."

Caroline looks down into her pint after pulling her spoon free from her mouth. "What was that about? Why did you lose it?"

It's the million dollar question, isn't it? Overall, despite how the day started it just wasn't a good day for Damon or myself. My readiness to fight and his anger just blew this whole thing into a bigger mess than it should've been.

I take a bite of my ice cream, mulling it over in my head. "We've been fighting a lot lately. About our differences."

"But why now?" Caroline asks. "It's not like you haven't been dealing with it for over a year."

"I think with the move and my apprehension over what he'll be doing while I'm school and his own issues from his dad… I just think we're both on edge. I want more drive from him but I don't want to push him too much because I don't want him to think I don't believe in him."

Caroline frowns. "But… Do you, Elena?"

My head snaps up. "Of course I believe in him. Look how far he's come."

She sighs and I can tell she wants to tell me something that she knows I might react badly to. So I ready myself for it, keeping her gaze and hoping my face is as open as I'm trying to be. Finally, she just plows on through though the apprehension is visible on her face. "It's just… Damon has literally done a complete 180 for you. You're the only person who believes in him. Naturally, he would become whatever you wanted him to be to get that approval from someone he loves. Lord knows his father doesn't give it to him. But you can't completely change who someone truly is. If you don't love Damon for all his wit and danger and screw-ups as well as the man he's become than you don't love Damon. You just love the idea of him."

As I listen to her viewpoint of my relationship, I try to see it through her eyes. Have I forced Damon to become something he's not? Have my needs for perfection caused him to fit himself in a role he's not. Do I love the Damon I have as much as the guy I first met? The one who flirted with me shamelessly and wouldn't stop until I agreed to a date. Or have I forced him to lose himself enough to become the version of him I wanted? Worse even… Will he resent me?

It can't be. I love Damon. Even the parts of him I didn't like. I just always wanted more for him. I wanted him to have direction and drive so that we could be partners. The way my parents are. The way they've raised me to be. "No, Caroline. I love Damon. The good and the bad."

"Then you can't be so hard on him for closing down. He shuts himself off for a reason. You've made him feel like he can't show you those sides of him."

"You mean the side of him Katherine knows." The words taste like acid in my mouth.

"Listen, Elena," Caroline says, soothingly, her hand reaching out to take a hold of mine. "I love you. You're my best friend and I will never forget all that you have done for me. But you have everything up on a pedestal and it's because your parents placed you there. Not everyone is going to live up to those standards."

"I just want everything to be perfect."

Caroline smiles, sadly. "Life isn't perfect. You're talking to someone who had the most idyllic life on the outside. But real life is more complicated than that. People are real and make mistakes and just try to give their best. When I first saw you and Damon I was nervous because of your differences but then I saw how much he loosened you up. Before him you were just checking life off of a checklist. Damon got you to actually enjoy and experience it."

"See? We changed each other."

My best friend shakes her head. "But Damon gave in more. You didn't want him to be the party boy with issues. You wanted him to be the doting boyfriend. But he has issues, Elena. Real ones."

"I know that. Don't you think I know that? I just want to help and understand but he never talks to me about it. He doesn't let me help him."

"He doesn't need you to make it right. He just wants you to understand. Be in the dark with him."

I frown, hoping I can push aside my need for things to be happy and bright in order to actually feel these things for him. Katherine was able to and we grew up in the same house. If she was able to reach into that sense of similarity with Damon, so could I.

Caroline must sense the determination on my face because she gives me an encouraging smile, pulling out her phone as I pull out mine. As I begin to call Damon to find out where he is so we can talk—hoping against hope that he actually responds this time—Caroline makes a sound of shock and my head snaps up to hers.

"Aimee Bradley is at Mason's party tonight."

"What's so shocking about that?" I ask. "She's always trying to party with that crowd. Her and her friend Sarah."

Caroline turns her phone towards mine where it's open to a recent Instagram post. At first I don't see the significance; it's just a group photo of a bunch of our classmates raising red solo cups and bottles of beer. But my eyes search the faces and right beside my sister—who's earlier straight hair is now curled to perfection—is Damon.

It takes me a moment to recognize him because unlike the rest of the group his face is obscured by the bottle he's drinking from. Katherine has her arms linked around his waist, her body pressed up against him. _What the fuck?_ I know I need to get over there and confront him, make him talk to me. Because right now he's falling back into old habits and if I know my sister she's taking advantage of it.

"We have to get over there now."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay... If you caught the amazing trailer by Ele then you know where this is headed. My original plan was to put this off for a bit longer and let Delena be happy to show their connection before everything goes wrong. But these characters and especially Elena's POV kept pushing in this direction and things wanted to reveal themselves before I'm ready for them to. The angst is already brewing and it wants to spill over. So, it's happening earlier than I expected. Putting it off has been the main issue for the delay in updates. The chapters were immediately going to them fighting because of their issues and it was making it hard to write the fluff. Hopefully now I can at least update every other week if not once a week.**

 **As always read and review and let me know what you think... What is Katherine's deal? What is going on with Damon's father? Will Elena get knocked off her pedestal already? Tell me your thoughts... xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Miles To Home

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

The bass vibrates against my body. It's almost as if my heart beats along with the familiar tune, my blood pulsing along. Mason Lockwood's house is beaten old colonial at the edge of town. It's surrounded completely by woods and the nearest house is more than a quarter mile away. It's perfect for the constant parties he throws. No neighbors to complain and plenty of space to invite the whole school.

Though this time it looks like he invited the whole county.

When Caroline and I arrived, I was eager to get inside but now I'm completely overwhelmed. Caroline decided it was best we split up and I've lost her in the crowd. No matter how hard I try to move through the crowd, I continually bump into people. There are people in tight knit groups, others dancing close together, and couples locked in passionate embraces. Through it all the scent of alcohol permeates the room. It's enough to make me gag.

I'm about to give up on my search, text Caroline that we'll just handle this tomorrow, when I notice a familiar face: Aimee Bradley.

Maneuvering through the crowd, I bee-line for her. She's deep in conversation with her best friend Sarah, eyeing a group of boys nearby. Neither of them notices me until I'm standing right in front of them. Still, I have to tap Aimee's shoulder to get her to look in my direction.

"Elena Gilbert?" she squeals, eyes wide. She's taking in my casual jeans and Henley tee covered by a blazer outfit with disdain. I'm aware I don't match up with the skimpy, sparkly dresses barely covering the rest of the girls here. But it wasn't exactly like this was planned. "Since when is a Mason Lockwood party your scene?"

"It's not," I reply, quickly. It's obvious. My discomfort has to be evident even to someone has dimwitted as Aimee. My arms are crossed, shoulders hunched, eyes searching. I want to be in and out of here as quickly as possible. "I'm looking for Damon."

"Salvatore?" she questions; like there is anyone else named Damon in our school, let alone small town.

I nod impatiently. I don't have time for this. I just need to find Damon and get him out of here and away from my sister before… Well, I'm not sure. But I know I need to talk to him, fix this. This whole rift between us is killing me. I know I asked a lot of Damon when I brought him into my life but I had no idea that just as everything was coming together, our differences would pull us apart. That what I had thought was perfect would shatter so quickly.

"He's with Katherine."

"Where?" I stress, fighting the urge to grab hold of her and shake her.

She hesitates for a second, sharing a look with Sarah, before saying, "They went upstairs somewhere. Damon was really out of it."

Without even bothering to give her a response, I push my way through the crowd until I reach the staircase. It's thinned out a bit enough around here that I'm able to reach my phone and send a text to Caroline. I let her know where I'm headed and that I'll meet her at the car with hopefully my boyfriend in tow.

Then with a deep breath to steady my nerves, I climb the stairs.

It's relatively less crowded on the second floor. On the way up were several couples kissing on the stairs and as I looked down both ends of the hallway I see a few more up against vacant walls. I decide to test each door with the knowledge that I might walk in on someone since it's still too loud to call out. Even if Damon and Katherine could hear me, I don't know if they would answer.

Thankfully the first few doors are locked and it isn't until I reach the end of a hallway that I notice one door has been left ajar. Ignoring the few remaining doors, I head straight for it and push it open enough to peek inside. I catch the sight of my sister standing before Damon as he rubs his face. He's swaying slightly on his feet and I'm almost certain he's about to fall into the wall behind him.

Katherine must have the same idea because she steps towards him. Even in the loud house, the sound of her heels connecting with the wooden floors over and over is the only sound I hear. I'm about to bolt into the room and stop all of this but I must be a glutton for punishment because I can only stand there and watch.

Before my sister can reach him, Damon holds a hand out. "Stop it, Kat. I'm fine."

"You're not," she teases. "Hanging out with my sister has made you a lightweight."

"Hanging out with your sister has made me a better man."

She crosses her arms and I'm sure there's an eye-roll to go along with it. "And look where that's gotten you. Back here. With me."

"I'm not _with_ you," Damon clarifies and my heart swells. If I'm being honest with myself, it was where my thoughts have ventured since the moment Caroline showed me the Instagram picture.

It's short-lived however once my twin-sister opens her mouth. "Then why the text to tag along? Hm?"

Damon's hand drops from his face and he sighs. "I just needed an escape. I couldn't pretend anymore."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. Pretend? Is that what he's been doing with me? I've been so concerned with having everything be perfect and within my vision of how things should be that I've neglected to realize who my boyfriend truly is. That he had demons, made mistakes, flaws. Was that the reason why it's been so hard for him to show me the darker sides of himself? The sides he lets my sister see.

And what shatters my heart worse than his words is the look on my sister's face. It's not one of calculation and manipulation but full of understanding and empathy. I've never seen her look so…soft.

"Explain something to me, Damon. If you can't be yourself with someone you love than why are you with them?"

Damon groans. "Not this crap again."

"I'm serious."

And even I can tell she is. There's a tone in her voice and a look in her eyes that's full of concern for my boyfriend. This isn't her normal up-to-something routine. She truly cares for Damon. Whatever connection they had before I came along was a lot deeper than I thought. Suddenly, I feel horrible for getting in between them.

Damon sighs. "I was going nowhere, Kat. I was angry all the time and drowning myself in booze and women. Elena… Well, she made me want to be better, _be something_. Have a future."

"But you stopped being you."

"I wasn't exactly happy being me."

"You're not exactly happy now," she counters. "Look at you."

Looking at him, I see it too. He looks miserable, drowning once again. Only now there's a weight to his shoulders. That broken soul I noticed when I got to know him better is still there. I've been blinded this whole time by his smiles and humor that I've forgotten they're his best defense. I thought that if I just loved in him enough, believed in him enough I could fix what is mother's death and father's abandonment did to him. But by my not so gentle shoves to be better I've created my own wounds on the man I love.

And it kills me that my sister has noticed this before I have.

"I'm just confused, Kat. Okay? I want to let Elena in but she won't understand."

My sister's hands move to her hips. "But I do. Talk to me."

Damon's eyes snap to hers and I can see the temptation there. The need to unload whatever has been weighing him down. But he chokes on his words and closes up his mouth stopping himself before it all comes spilling out. Katherine notices it all and that softness that was in her eyes fades away and that cool distant look is back on her face.

She sees a challenge.

Part of me wants to interrupt now and stop whatever Katherine is about to pull, but I'm frozen in my spot wanting to see how this all is going to play out. By a stroke of luck, they have been so wrapped up in their conversation and drunk enough to not pay attention to me peeking in on them. And I can't help but listen in.

"I never understood it," Katherine says. "How something could happen with Elena and never with me."

Damon's eyes are lidded; he's tired, confused. He just shakes his head and replies, "What are you talking about?"

"We told each other everything, Damon. I know things about you Elena doesn't. You were never anything but yourself with me." Her eyes meet his. "I look just like her."

He shakes his head, his eyes squeezing shut. "You're different."

"We're identical twins, Damon. How could you fall for Elena and not me?"

"I said it already. You're different. You may look alike but you're different people."

Katherine's eyes narrow. "You mean she's better."

I watch as Damon's eyes soften. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I've been hearing it my whole life."

My sister's words confuse me. If anything it's been her own actions that have spewed on this comparison between us. She placed us both on different ends of a spectrum, shoved me away until we were no longer connected. It's by her own doing that the labels of good and bad twin have been placed on us. It's by her own words.

Apparently, this isn't Damon's first time hearing this from my sister's mouth. "Fuck them, Katherine. They don't know you."

And the way he says it just proves how little I know about the depth of my sister and boyfriends connection. It's obvious in his tone that when he stresses a "them" that there is an identity in mind. Conversations of Damon stressing to me to speak to my sister and get an explanation for her behavior play over in mind. Maybe there's always been a reason behind her hatred towards me. A valid reason. But I've been too caught up in surviving her games to ever get to the bottom of it.

"But you do," she states, firmly. "And even you chose her over me."

"Katherine…"

But the sentence just hangs there unfinished. There's nothing he could say because I made him make a choice. By choosing to be with me, Damon swiftly cut ties with my sister. The original anger and betrayal I felt coming to Mason's house has quickly become muddied with the sympathy I'm feeling for these two people who are unaware I'm watching them. In this unguarded moment I'm seeing sides of them I didn't know existed.

It's confusing me more than I like.

I should be angry at my sister for all she's done—for the incident in our bathroom, for what she's saying now—but I'm starting to think there's more to her game. Maybe there's something I've been missing. And the same lies with Damon. I've strived for his perfect self that I stopped appreciating and seeing what's really going on in his life. It was my own anger over our fight that prevented Damon from opening up to me. That led to him running away here to alcohol and my sister.

All of this confusion has me starting to push open the door a little more. I want answers. I want to fix the heartbreak on my sister and boyfriends face. I want both of them to stop with their walls and finally let me in. And I don't want to judge them but instead understand them.

However, once again, my sister's prevents that from happening.

"Kiss me."

Damon seems just as shocked as I am. His brows are pulled together and the thought just doesn't seem to register on his face. But it definitely has with me. That sympathy and confusion I was feeling only seconds ago as burned away with my renewed anger and hurt.

"Stop it, Kat," Damon says. "We've both had too much to drink."

"Come on," Katherine says, stepping towards him. "Kiss me."

My boyfriend is silent as she approaches him and then her fingers are running up over his grey button-up, over his stomach and chest. Her mouth is close, too close and it has my heart breaking and tears falling from my eyes. The sight of my twins hands on my boyfriend in such an intimate way would hurt enough but the fact that Damon is doing nothing to stop it has completely broken me.

"I love Elena," Damon says. But his voice is slurred from the alcohol and it has my sister's face only getting closer.

Her mouth is only a breath away from his when she says, "Pretend I'm her."

And that's the final straw.

I can't take it anymore.

My hand covers my mouth and I cry out, "Oh my God," and race away from the room. This whole night has been too much but the sight of Damon and Katherine seconds from kissing has finally shattered whatever belief I had for either of our relationships. I'm not even sure if Damon was going to kiss her back but they will always have a connection to each other and that will always tear us apart.

I need to get far away from anything my sister can ever touch.

As I race down the hallway I hear Damon calling my name. It's desperate and loud and the very sound of his voice cuts through my soul. My hand is clutching at my stomach as I try to hold myself together and just do what I need to in order to get out of this place. I can't handle a conversation right now. I just can't.

"Elena!"

I push my way down the stairs, shoving past those same happy couples I passed on my way up. They're completely oblivious to the life altering change that just happened in my life. A few give me dirty looks and mumble horrible things but I can't even bother to take it in because I know Damon is right on my heels and I need to get to my car where hopefully Caroline is ready to go.

Instead of going out the front door where I know I'll have to push my way through more people, I turn and head towards the back where it's less cramped. I'm convinced I'm nearly home free and I step out onto the back porch and reach the back door when I hear my name one more time.

This time much closer. Softer.

"Elena."

With my hand on the doorknob, I turn towards him. I'm not ready for the absolute heartbreak on his face, the crazed look in his eye and the red rim of held back tears around his eyes. The sight of my face causes him to lose his footing. I can only guess what I look like to him. The tears streaming down my face, the puffiness of my eyes and the redness of my cheeks. Good. He should see how much this is killing me.

Because he got involved in the game my sister plays. And even worse is he helped her win.

We had one stupid fight and he went running back to her world where problems aren't dealt with but ignored, erased with alcohol. He let her draw him back in with her good times and shared past. They traveled down memory lane and he let himself fall back into the ease of escapism. He said he was pretending with me when in reality the world he existed in with Katherine was just that. It's a world where vices make you forget your problems.

At least I tried to understand and help him.

We stand there in silence just staring at each other. I can already feel the finality of it. The way all of our dreams of the future seem to fade away, broken. Our life in NYC isn't something I can see anymore. Something as simple as a night out with my sister could end all of that. It brought so much to light. Too much to move past.

"Nothing happened, Elena," he finally says. And I believe him—in the sense that he didn't kiss my sister. But something else happened. Something I can't quite explain. I never lost faith in him but he lost enough in me to trust my sister with his secrets. To run to her when things got tough with us.

My eyes drop down and I start to speak, trying to ignore the way my voice cracks. "You came here, Damon. With her."

"I know. I just… I needed to get out."

I don't even bother wiping away the tears streaking down my face. "I know that I put a lot of pressure on you to be better and I'm sorry for that." He tries to correct me but I've already heard too much. Both from Caroline and his own mouth. I'm owning up to my own faults but he has his own to pay for. "But you know how my sister is and you went to her instead of telling me what's wrong."

"I'll tell you what's wrong. I'll say it right now."

Turning away from him, I whisper, "It's too late, Damon."

The truth is I don't want to hear it. I mean a part of me does because I want to know what has had him spinning out of control. But it's because of that part that I can't know. Because I'll have to help him and heal him and make it better. And once I know it'll be too hard to walk away from him.

And I need to.

"I wasn't thinking. I didn't _think_."

I inhale a shaky breath. "It doesn't matter, Damon. She won. Katherine won."

My sister has successfully cracked apart my perfect life. The thing she has made her main purpose in life. I wonder what she'll do now that she's reached her goal.

"It's not a game. She didn't win anything. I'm here with you. I want to talk this out."

I shake my head. "It's never going to end."

It's the truth. As long as Damon is in my life and I'm pulling him one way, Katherine will always try to tug him the other way. It's been that way with everything in my life. After everything Damon has been through he doesn't deserve to be in a tug-of-war between twin sisters. And I deserve better than constantly worrying about my sister and my boyfriend.

I love Damon. I honestly do. But I can't let this be my life.

I need to get back to my path. Focus on myself and follow the plan I had for my future.

Far away from Mystic Falls. My sister. Damon.

My eyes meet his and I know it'll be for the last time. I take a moment to study him, remembering what it was about him that made me give him a second chance. Why did I see such good in him despite his reputation? And I find the answer in those expressive eyes of his. Right now they are full of that same pain I saw when they first caught my eye. Only this time I know I'm the reason.

Those eyes were the reason I pushed him to be better. I witnessed for myself the way they lightened as his pain did, as I became more and more of a presence in his life. But I see now that I took advantage of that. It's one thing to want the best for someone, another thing entirely to want to change someone.

Right now this is where Damon belongs.

He needs to escape his life and make mistakes. I have no doubt that one day he'll find his way out of it. Find his way. But it won't be because of me. It'll be because of him.

I ready myself to say the words, feel my heart shatter with each syllable of them.

"It's over. We're over."

And I turn away from him as I see the subtle shake of his head, the denial taking hold of him. But I can't look back. I turn the knob and open the door, stepping out into the cool night air. I hug my chest as I hear the sounds of a room being torn apart on the other side of the now closed door. I can almost picture him shoving things off the nearby table, breaking apart the chairs, taking out his pain on everything in that room.

It takes all my strength to walk away. But I do.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Miles To Home

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

 _Several years later…_

* * *

"Mr. Weatherly complains of chest pains and shortness of breath. Can anyone tell me what kind of tests we run?"

Dr. Laughlin's eyes slide over all of us, awaiting an answer. She's one of the toughest professionals in the internship and I feel all of my fellow classmates tense up beside me, tugging on their cobalt blue polo collars, averting their eyes, studying the patient. Everyone is scared that she'll call on one of us and put us on the spot. Clearly, they all haven't studied like I have.

I raise my hand and Dr. Laughlin gives me a nod to go ahead before simply saying, "Gilbert."

"A pulmonary angiogram provides a clear picture of the blood flow in the arteries and the lungs, which is what we look for in a pulmonary embolism; a condition in which Mr. Weatherly's symptoms are common."

Her eyes glare into mine, studying me but I don't break under her gaze. I know my answer is right. My father has been grilling this stuff into me since middle school, maybe earlier. The moment Dr. Laughlin read off his chart I knew the answer. Still, the way she's looking at me has me doubting myself. Even if it's just for a moment.

Finally, she speaks. "That's correct. Remember that. You'll be needing it in three years."

I break out in a huge smile and a few of the fellow interns send me proud smiles. But when I meet Dr. Laughlin's eyes again I can tell her tone from earlier wasn't praise. She turns around and reaches into a nearby cabinet and pulls out a bed pan.

She thrusts it in my direction. "Here's all you'll need to be worrying about today."

As I take hold of the bed pan, Dr. Laughlin turns and with a wave of her hand ushers the other interns from the room. Along with them is a man in suit, a member of the hospital board who is watching over our class. As he passes towards me, his hand brushes along my arms and catches my attention. "I was impressed."

I smile up at him, trying to keep myself from launching at him. Within these walls we do not know each other. I can't refer to him as Elijah, my boyfriend of a year and a half. At _Langone Medical Center_ , the home of my internship, he is simply Elijah Mikaelson, the youngest member on the hospital board. A board he is only a part of because his entire family owns the hospital.

And he might know a thing or two.

Holding me in place with his gaze, he gives me a closed mouth smile and a nod before disappearing from the room and leaving me alone with Mr. Weatherly and the bed pan.

* * *

Just as I'm about to make my way out of _Langone_ and head back to my home, my phone vibrates against my hip. I slip it free from the attachment that links it to my khaki pants and look at the screen to see my best friends face lighting up the screen. It's a photo of the two of us in time square with our hands in the air and a flare in our pose. With a smile, I press the screen to answer and bring the phone up to my ear.

"Did you mesmerize my schedule or something? Because you're always freakishly calling me right as I'm done. It's a little weird, Care."

Caroline's laugh sounds like bells in my ear. "I'm freaky like that."

"You are!" I laugh. "So what's up?"

I look out at the floor to ceiling glass wall in front of me, at the people coming and going through the revolving door. The sun is setting outside creating this beautiful coloring against the tall buildings beyond. Coming from such a small place like Mystic Falls made living in the big city difficult at first, but somewhere along the way I grew to love the skyscrapers and crowded sidewalks and constant vibrant life of New York City.

It doesn't mean I don't miss home. Or Caroline. Or….

"Well…" Caroline sings and I can just tell she is about to drop something big and amazing on me. It's the way she pauses for effect—something she has been doing since we were little girls. I sit reclined on one of the purple and grey benches as I wait to hear what it is. "I'm engaged!"

I have to remind myself not to scream and dance around like I want to. This is a place of business and a hospital. Lives are being fought and lost here. But the fact that my best friend is getting married has me squealing into the phone. "Congratulations! How did this happen? Tell me everything!"

Caroline launches into a story of how Stefan Avery, her boyfriend for over a year, brought her to his family's lake house for a weekend getaway and right as the sun set on their first night, dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. The way she tells it is filled with romance and in depth details like the shade of his green eyes and the way the setting sun sparkled the diamond in his hand. I'm practically in tears when she's finished because I'm just that happy for her.

After being afraid of love for so long, she finally found someone with whom she felt safe enough to let herself fall.

"That sounds so romantic, Care! I'm just shocked you waited this long without telling me," I tease.

"We decided to stay for the rest of the week. Stefan didn't have to be back at the bar and there isn't much cell service there. I'm just on cloud nine, Elena. I'm so happy."

"And I'm so happy for you, Caroline. Seriously."

Even though I haven't met Stefan Avery in person, Caroline has talked about him enough to make me feel like I have. I've even managed to FaceTime with him a bit during times when I called Caroline and he was with her. He came into Mystic Falls not long after I left and though she hasn't told me much about his family except that his mother has Alzheimer's, but I know enough about him from my best friends stories to know he is a good guy for my girl. He's been taking business classes at Whitmore—where he and Caroline met—and seems to truly love Caroline and get her in a way few could. Just the fact that she let him past that wall of hers was enough to let me know he was the real deal.

Caroline has been incredibly happy ever since.

The changes Stefan brought out in Caroline had her visiting with her father more which meant lots of trips to see me and every time I've seen her she just seemed lighter and more happy. Which I didn't think was possible with how much sunlight she radiated before. But by finally letting go of the baggage of her past, Caroline found peace with her father and peace with herself.

"He's truly amazing, Elena. I can't wait for you to meet him."

"Are you two planning a visit up here soon?"

Caroline giggled. "Actually you'll probably meet him just before the wedding. We're planning a June wedding."

" _This_ June?" It's less than two months away. That was way too soon. _Right_?

"June 18th to be exact."

I'm shaking my head in disbelief. It just all seems so fast. I always pictured my friend needing time to plan and get everything perfect. Like how I would be. But it seems that the details aren't as important to her, just as long as Stefan and her are together.

"I'm just speechless. Is two months enough time for you both to plan a wedding?"

She's quiet for a second. "It won't be just me and Stefan."

"It won't?" I question, confused. Did she hire a wedding planner or something? I figured Stefan's family came from money but I had no idea it was this much.

"So are you and Damon."

The sound of his name cracks open the stitched up, bandaged up parts of my heart. Who knew two syllables could drudge up so many memories or laughter, love…heartbreak? It all hits me and I'm thankful that I'm sitting down. When I left for New York, Caroline and I had a serious rule not to mention Damon Salvatore ever again. I didn't want to know what he was up to back home. Who he was with. I left for fresh start and I got it. Caroline hasn't brought it up once, with the exception of one time when she told me it was important but I just refused to hear her.

It's amazing how quickly everything hits. It's like I'm suddenly back at Mason Lockwood's house with Damon's broken face staring at me before I turn away. That was the last time I saw him. He tried to call but I blocked his number and unfriended him on every social media account I could. It allowed me to move on and focus on school, meet new people, open up to dates, find Elijah. I've been happy.

But something has always been missing. There's a weight on my life that is filled with all the what-if's of what would my life be like now if Damon were here. It's a part I've locked away—a future I stopped wishing for—but that doesn't mean the damage isn't still there. The fall out of our relationship ended whatever hope I had for me and my sister. And I haven't been able to step foot in Mystic Falls since. I can't handle the memories of what transpired between them, the connection that pushed us all apart. Sent me running as far away as I could.

My parents have had to fly up to visit or we meet for vacations in the Outer Banks and Miami, Disney World and Sea World. There's even my first trip to Europe all planned out for later this summer. All without my twin. They try to fill me in on Katherine how got into Whitmore a year later then everyone else or how she got a job at a new bar that opened up in town called the Mystic Grille—the same one Stefan works at. I took it all in but refused to let her back in.

I'm still not over what her actions caused. What her hatred for me brought out in all of us.

Caroline continues on as if she hasn't just tilted my world off its axis. "You're my maid of honor— _of course!_ —and Damon is Stefan's best friends so he's the best man. There's just so much to do! And you can come home for the summer, right? You don't have summer classes and you're internship is almost done for the semester. If I'm going to be able to do this I need you."

"I don't think I can do this, Caroline." I already feel the panic rising inside of me. Seeing Damon, being around him, forced to walk down an aisle with him…it's all too much. "Coming to the wedding is one thing—I wouldn't miss it. But to be back there… planning…with him… I can't. I can't come home for the summer."

And why is this the first I'm hearing of Damon and Stefan's friendship? And they're close enough that Stefan considers him Best Man material? Even despite my rule to never mention Damon Salvatore again, this is something that surely should've been brought to my attention. Especially considering if Damon and Stefan are friends, it means my best friend has been hanging out with Damon and I had no idea.

"What do you mean you're not coming?"

"I started over. Just like you did."

I think of all the changes Caroline has made. How she opened up and let love and her father back into her life. How she's starting a new life where her focus is on her future, not her past. She's changed since graduation in the same way I have. I don't want to relive my past. I want to focus on my future. I just want to not step foot in Mystic Falls unless I absolutely have to.

As I wait for her to answer, I stand up from the bench and head over to the exit, my free hand on my face, in my hair. I can't deal with this here where any of my co-workers could see. Where Elijah could walk by and take one look at me and know something is wrong.

Caroline sighs. "I know you haven't been here since…Well, you know. But I also know a part of you must miss this place. Miss me. And I'm getting married, Elena. I need you!" I can practically picture here pacing, talking animatedly with her hands, freaking out because I'm a variable that could put a kink in her idea of what could be stress-free planning. "You know how I get with planning events and needing everything to be perfect. I'm your best friend. You have to be here."

Feeling my stress getting the better of me, I take a deep breath and push open the door and step into the spring breeze and the bustling street. "Can I just call you later? I need to think and I can't do it here. I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay. Please, just come. I can't do this without you."

"I'll call you in a bit. Congratulations again. Love you."

"Love you, too."

And I hang up. Crossing the street, I hail a cab once I reach the curb and direct the driver to my place. The whole ride home my thoughts are running wild. I try to distract myself but when I go on to Instagram the very first photo is of Caroline and Stefan announcing their engagement. I stare at the photo of the two of them, sunlight putting their faces in silhouette. Their foreheads are touching and as Stefan holds out the camera to snap the photo, Caroline's hand is resting on his chest and her ring finger has a beautiful pear shaped engagement ring.

I double tap the screen bring up a heart over their faces and "like" the photo before I join in on the already thirty comments and send my congratulations again. As I'm scrolling through the comments I spy a familiar username among them.

 **dsalvatore_69** : _Congratulations! Happy for you both! Thanks for asking me to be a part of your wedding as best man, bro. It's going to be a great time!_ **stefgavery**

Curiosity gets the better of me and I click both their usernames and even though I know this already, I find they're both private accounts. It's probably for the best. I know that after I meet Stefan I'll probably shoot him a friend request, but having access to Damon's account would be a bad thing. The last thing I need is to lose myself in picture after picture of his life without me.

I'd much rather focus on my life without him.

When I reach my brownstone, I slip over the fare plus tip to the driver and hop out of the cab and step onto the curb. I breathe in the smell of the flowers blossoming along the railings and at the base of the stairs. I live on a street of brownstones in a quiet section of the city. The black railing rests under my gliding hands and row after row of lush trees cast the staircase in shadow. I reach the ornate double door and slide my key inside and push open the door, hearing a popular song blasting from the stereo.

"Elena? Is that you?"

I close the door and kick off my shoes before moving out of the entryway and into the living room before heading towards kitchen where I find my roommate Rebekah cooking dinner. "It's me."

She studies me and gives me look before saying, "You look exhausted."

I collapse on one of the stools near the island where she's cutting up vegetables on. "I am. Had a bad day that became amazing and then somehow got even worse."

Rebekah tucks her wavy blonde hair behind her ear as she looks back up at me. "Eli said Josette Laughlin put you on bedpan duty after you showed off."

I groan, remembering. Rebekah is Elijah's younger sister so of course he filled her in on my little show off this morning. When we met at college, I had no idea who she was or more importantly, who her family was. She was using her boyfriend's last name and going by Bex Gerard back then and it wasn't until we started hanging out more and she asked if I wanted to move into her family's brownstone that I really found out the truth. A little while into the two of us living together I met Elijah and after fighting against it at first because of his position at the hospital and his connection to my roommate and friend, we decided to start dating. It required being completely upfront about it with his family and gaining their approval in order to make sure my future and his wouldn't be in jeopardy.

And my relationship with Rebekah.

Thankfully, Rebekah was over the moon. As was his family.

And mine. _Naturally_.

Elijah is exactly the kind of man they always imagined me with. He's successful and has a bright future ahead of him. Not to mention he comes from a well-known family and comes from good money. He was at the top of his class and has no scandals in his past. He's as perfect a match as they could imagine.

When in fact it has me questioning whether I can even measure up. But he loves me and his family has welcomed me with open arms so for now I put my own insecurities aside and focus on the facts. Elijah loves me and I have my own accolades and upbringing. And I'm completely kicking butt in my internship.

Except for when Dr. Laughlin punishes me for showing off.

"That wasn't even the worst part of my day," I tell Rebekah. And then I launch into the story of Caroline's phone call and my wariness over returning to Mystic Falls to help her plan. Thankfully Rebekah knows the whole story with Damon and Katherine and all my reasons for my aversion to my home town. She shares her excitement for Caroline's engagement having met my best friend multiple times and my anxiety over retuning home.

"I have to ask something," Rebekah says and at my open expression she continues. "Do you not want to return home purely because of your sister or does your ex-boyfriend play a part in this?"

I can tell she's trying to keep her voice neutral; walking that fine line between my friend and my boyfriend's sister. She wants to protect her brother and I completely understand that. But as far as I'm concerned Elijah has nothing to worry about. Damon and I haven't seen or talked to each other in years. Whatever we have is in the past.

"Only in a way that I don't want it effecting Caroline's wedding." And it's the truth. Though I feel apprehension about seeing Damon and what emotions that will stir up, I know Damon is a chapter in my past. A chapter that's closed. I'm happy here. With Elijah. Following the path my parents set for me.

She sighs in relief, her shoulders relaxing as she turns down the stovetop. "Thank goodness."

Rebekah turns and grabs a single plate from the cabinet. She's eating dinner alone tonight because I have plans with Elijah in a bit. I know I need to shower but I need to bounce my thoughts on someone before I open up to Elijah and Caroline about what I'm going to do.

"I just don't know if I'm ready to see either of them again. But it's Caroline's wedding and she needs me. How can I not?"

I look up and see her staring at me, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I think you should go. If you put off seeing Damon and Katherine for the wedding it's only going to be more awkward. At least this way you can see them and clear the air in a place that won't affect Caroline's big day."

"You think?"

She nods. "Planning a wedding in two months is going to be hard even for a perfect planner like Caroline. Plus, you've missed so much. You'll regret missing this."

I bite my lip, knowing she's right. Deep down I already knew I'd have to go. It's for Caroline after all. But having Rebekah lay it out so simple for me proves just how inevitable my return to Mystic Falls really was. It had to happen at some point. I couldn't avoid it forever.

"I guess I'm headed home in a couple weeks."

Rebekah smiles at the nervousness in my voice. "You got this."

"I know." I groan, pushing back from the island. "I guess I better shower and get ready for my date with your brother. I feel gross."

She gives me a wink as she heads over to the living room. "You smell gross, too."

With a light shoulder bump, I leave her to eat and head up the stairs to shower. Now that my mind is made up on my return to Mystic Falls I just have to figure out a way to tell Elijah. And figure out a way to get used to the idea myself.

* * *

Elijah's hand brushes back my hair as he stares deeply into my eyes. He's always commented how much he loves my hair like this; natural, scrunched up into loose wavy curls. We've been walking down the street after an amazing dinner at one of his favorite laid back restaurants and he can't seem to keep his hands off of my hair. He's in my favorite look. My boyfriend is still in his suit but the tie has been removed and the top few buttons of his dress shirt are undone.

My hands slide down his neck, my back pressed up against a stone wall. We had to stop on our walk because he couldn't stand another second without kissing me. And as he looks down at me, my eyes drop to his mouth, lips swollen from my kisses and his tongue peaks out to lick them. I lean forward for another kiss and he more than happily obliges.

I know I'm stalling. All of dinner I kept the conversation about him and now that we've grown quiet I'm preventing more conversation by pressing my mouth to his over and over again. As we kiss I think back to when I first met Elijah. Rebekah had invited me to her house for Thanksgiving and the moment I laid eyes on her elder brother I was completely enamored. He eluded confidence, sophistication, class and, holy hell, sex appeal.

He's tall and thin with strong muscles and sun kissed skin. With brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes set above high cheekbones and a straight nose. His jaw is strong and pronounced and covered with just the right amount of stubble that it comes off sexy rather than lazy. I couldn't keep my eyes off him then and it hasn't lessened now.

Despite the crowded table that Thanksgiving, we somehow ended up beside one another and found a shared love of photography and classic movies and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. It amazed me that despite our five year age difference we have so much in common. When he asked for my number that night, I happily gave it to him. The weeks that followed were filled with constant texts and phone calls and when he finally asked me out on a date I was overjoyed.

When it became more serious and I had applied for an internship with his family's hospital we opened up to everyone and after precautions were taken, we finally became official. Elijah has always appeared very serious and stoic but around me he lights up and smiles and becomes carefree. He's open and honest and loyal to a fault and this past year and a half has been the most adult relationship I've ever been in.

After a deep, slow kiss Elijah pulls back and stares at me and very quietly says, "Why do I have the feeling you're putting off telling me something."

"Because you're annoyingly observant."

He smiles openly. "Talk to me."

I sigh. "My best friend, Caroline, is engaged."

"That doesn't exactly seem like something to put off telling me."

My eyes drop down. "She's getting married in June and I'm her maid of honor. She wants me to come home once the semester is done in a couple weeks to help her."

"That's seems amazing, Elena. If anyone could help her it's you."

His hand reaches for my own and I squeeze hold. "It's just I haven't been there since what happened with my sister and ex-boyfriend and I'm not sure I'm ready."

"You have to face it at some time."

"I know."

"And I can't think of a better excuse to force you to."

I nod my head, knowing he's right. I can't let this past hang over me. "I guess you're right. Why are you Mikaelson's so clear headed?"

He smiles at me, tapping my bottom lip with his finger. "We're bred that way." I kiss him quickly. "So, when do we leave?"

This jolts me. "We?"

"You want me to come with you, don't you? I'd have to maneuver a few things with the board and I'd have to fly back and forth…"

I'm already shaking my head. "I love you for wanting to but I think this is something I have to face alone. Plus, I'll be busy with Caroline and…"

"… And?"

"I'd lose you. And I don't want that to happen," I finally say. He looks at me curiously, confused. And I can't blame him. He doesn't know just how cruel my sister is. He's heard the stories but hearing about it and witnessing and being a pawn in her cruelty is a whole other thing entirely. "Elijah, I need to face my sister. I haven't spoken to her since I left for the city and I have no idea if she's changed or what. I don't want her to use you to torture me."

He stares at me and his quiet just long enough for me to wonder if I've finally made him see just how crazy my life in Mystic Falls is. Is he finally running for the hills. Instead he caresses my face and says, "I love you, Elena. Your sister nor any other temptation could tear me away from you. But if you feel like this is something you need to face alone than I won't stand in your way. But just know that I will be a plane ride away shall you need me."

"Thank you for that. I know you will."

"And," he says, leaning in close, "I hope I can be your date to the wedding."

"I wouldn't want anyone else."

And I kiss him.

But just for a moment I thought of someone else. As the words left my mouth and in the time it took to bring my mouth to his… I thought of Damon.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! That was a long one and it was definitely missing an appearance by a certain blue eyed raven haired ex-boyfriend. I know Damon was missing from this chapter but no worries...he'll make an appearance in the next one. A lot of you who haven't seen the trailer by Ele and Caro (and come on watch it!) have been asking about whether Stefan would be appearing in this story and as you've read… here he is! And as I keep saying, you need to seriously check out the trailer this is based from! If you want to avoid spoilers we're at minute 2:38 so you can watch until there ;)**

 **Any guesses on Damon's secret? Now that we know Caroline knows and Elena is returning home it's only a matter of time before it comes out…**

 **Thank you so much for reading and feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: There's a little surprise for you in this chapter because I just missed him so much…**

* * *

I step into the familiar office and my eyes scan around the room, taking note of the degrees and accolades as I try to imagine my own office in my not so distant future. Surrounding the accomplishments are photos of patients that have no doubt made an impact and fellow medical professionals that have stood out in her career. She's made quite a life for herself.

Dr. Laughlin's eyes lift up from her folder and she gives me a closed lip smile. "Have a seat, Miss Gilbert."

Doing as she says, I step towards the wood and leather chair before her desk and sit down. My hands rest calmly in my lap, legs crossed at the ankles and my back straight just like my mother taught me. I try to radiate as much self-confidence as I can. This is our final meeting of the semester and before I head home. I'm also pretty convinced she made me the last intern to meet with her because she just loves torturing me.

I've been in charge of one too many bedpans this internship to think otherwise.

"You've academically excelled in this program," she states clearly while flipping through the folder on her desk. Most likely my folder that contains all my grades, papers, exams; anything I've worked on since I step foot in _Columbia_. "You've known more than most interns do at this stage and actively participated in anything that was asked of you. You've basically done what is expected of you."

It's as close to a compliment that I can expect from her. "Thank you, Dr. Laughlin."

"But," she starts and closes the folder as she eases back in her chair studying me closely, "that's all you've done."

My brows furrow in confusion and I stutter out my next words. "Excuse me?"

"You've done everything by the book, Elena. I have no doubt that you have knowledge about medicine and that you're well equipped to handle yourself. Your parents—especially your father—must have made sure of that. But you lack something very important. Something that is essential in choosing a career."

"What's that?" I'm shocked I can manage the words out. This whole turn in the conversation is definitely not what I expected stepping into this meeting. I've excelled at my internship. There hasn't been a single mistake or error and it's been perfect except for when Dr. Laughlin has made an example of me for being a know-it-all.

Is that what's happening now?

She sighs in exasperation. "Passion. Drive. A purpose. It's not enough to know how to save lives, Elena. You need to want to make a difference. Make the world better. Care enough to be innovative and push boundaries and take risks if it means saving someone's life. It's not about being successful and doing what's expected. It's about wanting this with every fiber of your being. And I just am not seeing that drive in you."

My eyes are wide with shock and I'm fighting to not drop my jaw and let a variety of unintelligible words spill out. I have never in my life not been described as driven. I pushed myself in school to succeed, be the best. I've been pushing myself ever since I was little. Now the very person in charge of my internship is saying I lack the one word I would best use to describe me.

"While I may be the professional assigned to your internship, as long as you're not carelessly putting others in danger I can't expel you from the program. But as I am also your advisor I am urging you to take this summer to seriously consider either another major or seriously figuring out why you've decided medicine."

I can't help but nod along as my words have escaped me. This is not how I wanted to leave my internship for the summer. I expected praise on a job well done or tips for next semester. I most certainly did not expect to be told to reconsider being in the pre-med program at _Columbia_. It would be easy of me to dismiss Dr. Laughlin's words as just her hate towards me but there is actual concern in her eyes. She seriously cares about my future.

I'm not even sure she's supposed to be saying this to me.

"I expect to hear from you before the start of the semester. Take the summer break to seriously consider your options, okay?"

I continue to nod—I'm not sure I can stop—and I say, "Yeah, I will."

She stands up and holds out a hand and as if on autopilot I rise and shake it. As I slide my hand from hers I thank her and tell her I'll speak to her soon but inside I'm numb. I don't know how I'm managing to make it through all of this without freaking out.

My entire life has been planned out since as long as I can remember: do amazing in high school, get into an Ivy League with scholarships, get into the pre-med program, excel to the point where I have my choice of any hospital, become a doctor. I've put in all the hard work and the goals seem right within my reach. But now I'm being told I don't have the passion for it?

My phone vibrates as I step out of Dr. Laughlin's office and I look down to see a text from Elijah asking how the meeting went. We already said our goodbyes this morning since I have to catch a flight not long after I get home. It's going to be a hard few months without him but I'd rather handle Caroline and my sister and possibly Damon on my own. It's better than having to worry about Elijah getting caught up in the mess.

I shoot him a text back, lying about the reality of what's weighing on me.

 _It went fine. Just have a few things she wants me to focus on before next semester._

As I hop on the elevator, he writes back. _That's natural. Can't have you slacking off over the summer… So you're headed home and then straight to the airport?_

I write back that I am and let him know that I'll miss him. It's just something to add to my anxiety and stress of returning home. With Dr. Laughlin's words still on replay in my head this is turning into a horrible day. More so than it should be.

He types back immediately and I have to imagine that he's in his office right in this building only a floor or two away from where I was. _No plans to surprise your boyfriend in his office then?_

I smile because it's where my mind was headed. But I just don't have the time. Traffic is going to make me late enough and I'm planning on getting their early. _Unfortunately not. Wish I could…_

His response comes quick. _Are you sure you don't want me to join you? Last chance…_

 _I'm sure,_ I write back. _I just don't want that drama effecting us._

 _I can handle your sister,_ he texts back.

Unfortunately that's not the only person I'm worried about.

* * *

 _ **Damon's POV…**_

* * *

I stand back admiring my handiwork. The new table for the center of the bar that I made from an old barn door fits in perfectly with the wood and steel motif of the place. I have to admit I'm pretty fucking proud of myself. Creating new ways of restoring trash to treasure hasn't been a long hobby of mine but I have to agree with what the guys say and admit I have a talent for it.

"That came out great!"

Easing back my googles, I turn around to see Stefan standing there arms cross and a huge grin on his face. I can't help the smile on my face at the sight of it. Having people be proud of me is a new development in my life and this new found confidence in myself that accompanies it has had me in a stellar mood.

"Thanks."

Stefan runs his hand along the newly sanded table, feels the wood smooth under his hand. It still has to be stained and treated but the look of all of it when it's finished will make quite the addition to the _Mystic Grille_. The _Grille_ was a little endeavor by Stefan and I with the help of dear old Dad. And not to be cocky—ah, who the hell I am kidding—it's been kicking butt.

The small town of Mystic Falls was missing a cool hang out for people that were too old for day care and too young to be hanging out at some diner or VFW. The idea of a town bar and grill that fit everyone was just what this town needed and from the moment we opened we've been busy.

"I don't know what you're doing in some bar with me when you could really do something with this," Stefan says.

I shrug. "It's just a hobby for now and you're benefiting from it so no complaints, capisce?"

Stefan laughs. "Who's complaining?"

"That's what I thought."

Grabbing a towel hung over the back of a nearby chair; I wipe down my face and sling it over my shoulder. "So what's up?"

His eyes slide off mine and look around the spacious backyard of my father's house. My dad lets me use his yard or garage and tools to work on my upcycles since I don't have enough space at my loft. Dad and I have been getting along better and making up for all those lost years where I thought he was an asshole and a dead beat Dad and he thought I was a waste of space and a disappointment. We've grown.

Stefan's helped.

He's lived with me the past few years though I'll never know why he decided to. When his Mom died from cancer and he inherited all her deep South family money he could've had his choice of any town and any place. Yet here he is living with me and hanging around with my version of a learning to be functional dysfunctional family. He's running a bar with me, putting all his faith and money—along with Dad's—on a former screw-up like me.

Basically, I've been living with him long enough to know when he's nervous about telling me something. And that's exactly the look he has on his face now.

"Elena's coming home. She'll be here in a few hours."

I stay quiet for a few moments trying to collect myself. It's what I've been waiting for these past few years. Ever since Elena walked out on me, our life, _us_ I've been waiting for the moment she would return. I went on a bender the nights following her exit and then somehow found my footing and realized she had been right: I had no idea what I wanted from my future. My whole life had been wrapped up in her.

I was following her to New York City while she pursued her career and what was I going to be doing? Odd jobs? Waiting around for her? That was no life for us. We'd eventually grow to resent each other. Me for her long work hours and her for my endless mooching. She was the reason I was bettering myself and without her there to put me in check the ground fell out from under me. It just proved her point that it didn't stick without me wanting it for myself. Becoming a better man needed to be because of something in me not by Elena's hand.

With Elena gone, it forced me to become the man she always believed I could be. Only this time I did it for me. I had a stable thriving business. I had hobbies that didn't included drowning myself in alcohol and running away from my problems. My Dad was now a part of my life.

In a way Elena running out on me and disappearing was the best thing that could've happened to me.

That didn't mean the thought of her didn't hurt like a bitch.

"Caroline actually convinced her to come home before the wedding?" I'm in complete shock, my lips pursed as I nod along. She hasn't stepped foot in Mystic Falls since she left and now she'll not only be back for her wedding but for the months leading up to it. Blondie must have pulled out all the stops.

Stefan gives a proud smile. "You know my girl. She's hard to say no to."

"Is that how she locked you down?"

He just shakes his head and then drops his smile and looks at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you know me… Mr. Roll-With-The-Punches."

"Damon," he says seriously.

I sigh and turn myself so I'm facing the grounds surrounding my father's property. I have so many memories here with Elena. From staring at the stars and late night campfires to nights where we just sat outside and talked about everything. If she thought that by disappearing it would lessen my love for her she was seriously mistaken. If anything it only strengthened it.

Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about her; haven't opened up my phone to message or call her. I wish she could have seen how much I've grown and changed. I wonder if she would be proud of the man I've become. Or if she's moved on to the point that she couldn't care less.

Caroline has told me enough that I know she has a boyfriend. Maybe I really have lost her forever.

But no, I know Elena. I've loved her for years. I'm _still_ in love with her. By blocking my number and removing me from social media, pushing me away and refusing to come home it only shows just how much she does care. It's her way of pretending things are better than they are. By forcing herself into whatever life she created and ignoring what she really wants.

If Elena didn't care, my presence wouldn't have stopped her. She's put up with Katherine for her whole life. Her being cut off from the only home she's ever known has everything to do with me.

"Damon?" Stefan says again.

I must have been too stuck in my head that he's formed his extra-worry brow. "I'm good. Great, actually. Elena's coming home."

And for once a smile graces my face at the thought of her without a trace of sadness.

"Oh, no. I know that look. Damon, she has a boyfriend."

My hands rest on my hips as I shake my head, smirking. "That may be true. But she's been running from me. That means something."

"It just means she's hurt." He sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. "Caroline will kill you if you ruin our wedding day."

"How will I be ruining it if I'm righting a wrong? Caroline will be happier if Elena's in her life more."

Stefan's shaking his head. "She'll be the definition of a woman scorned if you make matters worse."

"Come on, Stef… Our eyes will meet, fireworks will go off and the balance of nature will be restored." My arms are flailing around; I'm losing any sense of being calm. Knowing Elena will be here soon has me desperately needing to see her. I need to confirm that my suspicions about her behavior is right.

He rolls his eyes. "And you say Caroline has a flare for the dramatics."

I turn towards him and grab hold of his shoulders, making him meet my eyes. "I just want to see her, Stefan. Not in a room full of people. Not when we need to be focusing on other things. I need to see her and tell her everything she stopped me from saying."

His eyes study me for a moment and I can tell he's warring between his promise to Caroline and the desperation he sees in my face. I don't want to cause problems for Caroline. Honestly, Blondie is scary enough but throw in an added dose of Bridezilla and I'd be lucky to still be walking. I just want to get the hard part over with.

Once I see her I'll know.

Finally, Stefan says, "I'll tell you where she's staying."

* * *

I collapse on the bed absolutely exhausted from the flight back to Mystic Falls. It hits me that I haven't referred to it as home in a long time. A part of me wants to consider this home because it's the place I grew up but I've created a life in New York. I haven't been here in forever and there's a sense of the unfamiliar. It could be because instead of staying in my bedroom—in my family home—I'm stuck at a nearby _Hampton Inn_ for the summer.

All in an effort to avoid Katherine.

Ugh.

I had hoped to avoid my problems in New York and my future by coming here. I had stressed about it enough on the plane ride over. Caroline helped the moment I saw her. She was beyond excited to see me and wouldn't let me go for a solid five minutes. I didn't want to either—I was practically in tears at the sight of her—but I wanted to sit and talk and lose myself in her life.

When we finally let go, she launched into full Bride mode. She filled me in on every little detail and what she needed my help with all while filling in sentences with how thankful she was that I came home. Caroline knew how hard it was for me but seeing how she relaxed at the sight of me even if it was just a little bit made me feel like a jerk for even thinking about not helping her.

Once we crossed into Mystic Falls, anxiety crept up inside of me. I kept expecting to just see Katherine or Damon making out against the town welcome sign or inside the gazebo in town square. Thankfully, Caroline kept me absorbed in her stories and I didn't see a single glimpse of them.

We reached the hotel and I checked in and Caroline helped me bring my bags up. Then we just spent hours catching up. Sure, we spend every day texting, Face Timing, talking on the phone but nothing compares to actually having your best friend in front of you, being able to see them without the grainy quality of a screen hindering their features. When she finally had to go we hugged fiercely enough that I was sure we'd both bruise.

Then she had pulled back with tears in her eyes and told me, "I'm just so happy you're here."

And I knew that would be enough to get me through whatever reserves I had about coming here. Caroline needed me. She had been there for me through everything and I could not bail on her when she needed me the most. I could face Katherine and Damon because I was doing this for Caroline. And our friendship means enough for me to put aside everything to be there for her.

When she finally left, I collapsed on the bed and crashed for a bit. Caroline and I were meeting up in a bit for dinner and I wanted to be refreshed. When I woke up it was nearly time to get going so I hopped in the shower and cleaned up before getting dressed.

Just as I was slipping on my leather jacket over my purple top and making sure my denim skirt was positioned the right way, my phone went off with a new text message. I reached for my phone I looked down at it.

 **Caroline:** _See you in a bit! Can't wait for you to meet Stefan!_

I smile down at the message and type back a response letting her know I'm excited to meet him too. To say that the curiosity over this guy is driving me crazy is an understatement. This guy has managed to make my best friend willing to break her own walls and rekindle her relationship with her father. Not to mention he had somehow become Damon's best friend. I knew so little about him and yet he was one of the most important people in my best friend's life.

I'm just ready to get the first meeting over with and give Caroline my stamp of approval. Because if he managed to get her stamp it's almost guaranteed he'll get mine. He's had a temporary one since our phone conversations but it's about time he got the real thing.

As I try to think up what I'm going to say I start curling my hair and applying some minimal makeup. I need to make sure that things go perfectly tonight. And I must be so caught up in my thoughts because the sound of someone knocking at my hotel door interrupts my thoughts.

"Who is it?"

Whoever is on the other side doesn't reply so I decide to just open the door and take my chances. My hand reached for the knob and I feel something I can't explain just as I'm about to turn it. I'm so focused on it that it takes me a second before I look up at the person standing in the now opened door way.

But when I do my heart stops.

My whole body shakes.

And I watch as he takes in a breath at the exact same time I do.

 _Damon_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: So, in case you haven't noticed Fanfiction has been having some problems with reviews and replies. I'm getting the email notifications but when I go to reply it says the review doesn't exist and even though the review count goes up the reviews aren't being shown. It was fixed for awhile but it seems the same thing is happening again. I've been manually replying to reviews where I can but if they were long reviews I decided to wait until I was able to read it all.**

 **ANYWAYS… Keep reviewing because I LOVE hearing your thoughts and this chapter is dedicated to Caro because it's her birthday today! So send her some birthday wishes!**

 **Ready for some Delena interaction...? And a little surprise...**

* * *

The last thing I expected when I opened that door was to see Damon on the other side. We're both silent, in shock; neither of us quite knowing what to say. My eyes can't stop looking at him and the way his eyes are so intent on my face as if he's waiting for something has me feeling insecure. I can't be sure. All I know is the silence stretches on and I can't seem to stop myself from shaking.

 _What is he doing here?_

Damon seems to get his bearing first because with a hesitant smile he says, "Okay, I'll start."

I nod because words still have escaped me. And seeing him here is bringing up too much. I'm remembering everything. Our first meeting. First conversation. First kiss. It carries on to thousands of moments that all weave together to create our story. But I also remember the pain.

"Stefan told me you were here." _That explains a lot_. "When I found out you were coming home I knew we needed to get this over with. Get the awkwardness out of the way so we don't ruin the wedding. And, well, imagining this moment has gotten me through these past few years."

He's staring at me again, waiting for something. "I… I don't know what you want me to say."

He reaches out for me, grabbing hold of my hands and it takes everything inside of me not to pull away. His touch is familiar, exhilarating. I remember what his hands feel like but these hands are rougher now, more calloused. Whatever he's been up to in our time apart has given him strong hands. And for an instant I imagine what they must feel like on the most sensitive parts of my skin.

"Just say you missed me as much as I missed you."

I meet Damon's eyes for moment and I see the pain and hope mingled within his bright blue eyes. He's trying to convey so much of himself in such a simple look but I'm not ready for it. Besides, I'm with someone else. I'm in love with someone else.

Sliding my hands from his, I take a step back. "I have a boyfriend. I'm with someone."

"That has nothing to do with it."

My eyes narrow. "It has everything to do with it."

And I feel like I should have a better argument.

He sighs and drops his hands, giving me my space. "I know why you did what you did." And I can tell this admission pains him. He's thinking back to that night and I am too. All the things we left unsaid and how one choice pulled us apart. I'm not sure how he does it—because his voice is loaded with pain—but he continues talking, crossing lines I'm trying to stay behind. "But this life you've created for yourself? It's a lie—an escape. It's not real. You know what's real? What you felt for me."

I take an involuntary step back, completely shocked at his bluntness. We haven't seen each other in years, haven't kept in touch. He knows nothing about my life, my choices. He only knows the one choice that kept us apart. Only knows what's made it back here through gossip and Caroline. Damon Salvatore may know the girl he loved in high school inside and out but he doesn't know the woman I've become. I'm happy with my life in New York. With Elijah.

How dare he imply that any of it isn't real?

And that what we were was real when in the end it wasn't enough.

But instead of launching into an argument and tearing open old wounds, I simply respond, "Those feelings are gone."

The pain is evident on his face. I see the way it changes him. The hope is dwindling from his face and I'm having flashbacks to the simple yet constant shake of his head when I told him that we were over. I can't look at him as my words take hold. Just like I couldn't look then.

Damon's jaw hardens as he firmly states, "You're just trying to cover the truth."

I huff and cross my arms. Did he seriously come all this way just to see if there was still a chance? "Is this why you came here, Damon?"

And I realize it's the first time I've said his name out loud in years. It creates an odd sensation within me. Walls that I've built up start to crumble, memories I've hidden become free. I can't bare the weight of it. I've spent so long hiding from that name afraid of emotions that came along with it, that it's like a dam has broken and now I'm suffocating from it.

Damon must see the pain in my face and misreads it because he backpedals. "No… Yes. Honestly I hoped that seeing me would bring it all back but it's not. I just want to talk. Have that conversation we should've had all those years ago."

I sniffle because I feel the beginning of tears prickling my eyes. I haven't let myself feel this pain and now it's all coming back. Those months of heartbreak where I wasn't sure I would survive; where all I wanted to was go back to him and work it out. But I couldn't. So I hid it all away and turned it off and built a life without him.

 _But now he's here._

My past and present are colliding and I'm not sure what that means for my well-planned future. Especially when I throw in my conversation with Dr. Laughlin about my lack of passion. It's becoming too much.

"What conversation?" I question, because it's all I can focus on right now. I can't get back to where he was leading things before. Instead I need to move past it. The quicker we settle whatever Damon wants to, the quicker I can help Caroline plan her wedding and get it all over with. Get back to my life.

He takes a deep breath. "The one we should've had when I found out what my father had to tell me. The one I had with your sister instead."

My eyes drop down at the memory. Our fight. His weird behavior. My dismissive tone. The Instagram picture. The race to Mason Lockwoods. The search through the party. Followed by finding him with my sister. We both made mistakes but I cut my ties and ran the moment my sister won.

I've wondered what his big secret was for a long time. What broke him so much that ultimately broke us? And now he's willing to have the conversation we should've had all along. The one we both prevented.

I steel myself, preparing to hear the thing that had Damon feeling horrible enough about himself to spiral. "Go ahead."

"Can I come in?"

Reluctantly, I nod and gesture towards the vacant chair near the wall. He strides towards it, sitting down and I take my seat across from him on the edge of the bed. He's quiet for a few moments, collecting his thoughts and I can see the pain welling upside of him. Part of me wants to tell him that it can wait but I'm just ready to put this whole thing behind us.

His eyes soften before he finally starts. "I raced to my Dad's after our fight at the beach. Remember? When I got there he was sitting in the den, legs shaking, clearly nervous. I, of course, came in with a big attitude because we were fighting and he was behind it but he just ignored it all and launched into the story of how he had met this woman before my mom died."

"He cheated on your mom?"

Damon nods. "Clearly, husband and father of the year."

"I'm sorry, Damon." And I truly am.

He gives me a sad smile. "But that wasn't all. It turns out that they had a kid together. A son."

My mouth drops open in shock as his words hit me. _Damon has a brother_. "Oh, my God."

Nodding, he says, "It turns out that my father didn't know about it until this woman died. At the hospital, she told her son everything. She was dying of cancer, she didn't want him to be alone."

Everything he tells me starts adding up and the name leaves my mouth before I've even consciously pieced it all together. "Stefan? Stefan's your brother."

"When Amara Avery died, Stefan came looking for my father. He found him that night you were out my house. The night my Dad came home early." I remember. It was the night I saw Giuseppe pause outside of Damon's door. "I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know just how bad it was until he finally told me everything."

I frown, imagining how hard this all must have been for Damon. "How are things with your Dad now?"

"We're better. I was angry for a long time but it was clear that the guilt ate at him. That's why he couldn't look at me ever since my mother died. I look just like her. I was a constant reminder that he had cheated."

"At least it all makes sense now. You have answers."

At my words, Damon gives me a real genuine smile. "I do. Stefan and I knocked heads the first few meetings. I was angry and upset and he's had quite the perfect life. But now… Well, we're close."

"Best Man worthy it would seem."

Damon laughs. "Yeah. Well, we're brothers, friends, business partners. Can't think of anyone closer to the guy. Plus, I'm the reason he and Caroline got together."

"Business partners?" I question.

"We own the Mystic Grille. Well, basically… Dad is the owner on file. Didn't Caroline tell you?"

I shake my head. "She just told me Stefan worked there."

And I'm reminded of who else works there: Katherine. It would seem that Damon and my sister haven't cut ties as I would've hoped. Now he's her boss. They see each other constantly. Maybe my worry over seeing the two of them together when I crossed within the town lines wasn't as foolish as I thought.

"It's become our little family bonding project."

I can't respond because I keep picturing Damon and Katherine together—in storage rooms, after hours. In keeping Damon's name from my life I've opened myself up to pain. I need to talk to Caroline and find out as much as I can before I have any more surprises that I'm just not ready for.

"So," Damon continues at my silence, "now that it's all out in the open can we call a truce?"

My eyes search his and I see that familiar hope back in his irises. He's offering me friendship and with everything we have to do how can I object? It'll make everything go easier. And despite how we originally handled things we've proven we can get through a conversation without arguing.

I give him a smile. "Truce."

He returns my smile with one of his own and stands, smoothing out his shirt. "I better head out. I have some errands to run before I have to man the Grille tonight. Hopefully you can check it out soon?"

Damon lets it hang there like an offer and I reply by saying, "It's up to Caroline. She'll have me booked solid until the wedding."

"Oh, I'm right there with you."

We exchange a laugh and it feels light, easy, familiar. I can still sense his urge to want to reach out and touch me, hug me goodbye, get back to the conversation we were having before. But for Caroline and Stefan's sake he's keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself. Something I am also grateful for. We'll be walking a fine line between friends and exes in trying to plan this wedding together and I don't want to constantly be fighting with him.

I don't want to constantly be validating my life in New York.

He reaches the door and looks back to where I'm still seated on the bed. "I'll be seeing you, Elena."

I give him a small smile. "See you, Damon."

And then he leaves and for some reason I break.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the hotel and talk?"

I shake my head. "No."

Caroline pouts, turning her head momentarily off the road to give me her best puppy dog eyes. "But there's a reason you were crying when I came to get you."

"And it's a reason I don't want to get into right now."

She sighs. "But you tell me everything."

"And you don't," I say, pointedly, unable to stop myself.

As she makes a turn on to the main street of Mystic Falls, her brows furrow. "What does that mean?"

My eyes search the buildings for the talked about Mystic Grille as I try to ask myself why I'm having an attitude and talking about the very thing I want to avoid. Caroline's constant tapping however proves that this is something she just isn't going to let go.

So, instead I sigh and say, "Why didn't you tell me Katherine worked for Damon and Stefan?"

Her eyes balk. "How did you find out?"

"Damon told me," I quietly mutter.

"Damon!" she yells, practically swerving the car off the road. "When did you talk to Damon?"

I shrug; trying to play it off like it's no big deal when in reality it was a huge deal. "He came over before you showed up."

Caroline lets out what can only be described as a growl as she mutters. "Stefan."

"I'm not mad about it, Care," I say quickly before I'm responsible for a lovers spat. "I was shocked at first but I'm glad we got that first meeting over with in private where it wouldn't affect your wedding."

She's quiet for a moment, taking calming breaths before she gasps and says, "Is that why you were crying? What did Damon say?"

"He told me about Stefan. We just talked and agreed to be friends."

She's nodding along, happy with what I'm saying but her face becomes confused when I leave it at that. "That doesn't explain the breakdown I walked in on."

I sigh, putting my face in my hands. "I don't know, okay? It just happened."

"Aren't you curious?"

Shaking my head, I lean back and focus on the road ahead of me. Caroline has pulled over in front of a green industrial building with beige awnings and brown doors. There are a few windows but they're spaced enough to tell me the feeling inside is dark and rustic. Written on one of the doors and scrawled onto the windows are the words: MYSTIC GRILLE. This is it. This is Damon and Stefan's restaurant.

"Is this it?" I say in disbelief. The place is packed. The tables set up outside and full of people and there is a constant pull of people towards the place. It has me wondering just how packed it is inside if this is the crowd outside.

"This is it," Caroline says and I can hear the smile in her voice. It's full of pride and when I turn towards her I see it reflected on her face. "Isn't it amazing? It's just what this town needed."

I turn back towards the building, seeing a crowd of high schoolers laughing as they step inside. "Makes me wish we had something like this when we were in school."

"It was Damon's idea," Caroline says softly. "Stefan wanted to open up a business with the combination of his money and Giuseppe's and Damon came up with this."

"Wow," is all I can say. I think of the Damon I left who had no drive, no dreams—just a hardworking man who wanted to follow me everywhere. He had changed from the man I met but he struggled with the weight of his past. That man constantly felt at war with who he was and who I knew who he could be.

But the Damon I saw earlier, the one who was responsible for this beautiful building is better than I ever could've imagined. And better yet? He became this person all on his own.

"Elena?" Caroline says, grabbing my attention. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I can tell my eyes must be glistening, feel the lump in my throat, but I managed my words out steadily. "I think I was just overwhelmed. I haven't allowed myself to think of Damon in such a long time that having him there was too much."

Not mention the thought of him and Katherine still being in each other's lives.

I'm not sure why it matters. I cut myself from any say in Damon's life when I walked away from him that night. When I left him broken and moved away pretending he didn't exist. Was Damon right? Did I create a lie? Maybe. With refusing to hear his name, I erased any impact he had on my life. I erased the fire he lit up inside me, the passion, adventure.

Is that the part of myself that Dr. Laughlin is claiming I'm lacking?

Maybe I know more about the reasoning behind my breakdown than I care to admit.

"Do you want to do something else tonight?" Caroline asks, giving me an out.

I hesitate to answer. In truth, it would be nice to just hang out with Caroline and talk about everything going on inside of me. But I want to see what Damon's been working so hard on. I want that same pride on Caroline's face when talking about the Mystic Grille to be reflected on mine. Because I am proud of Damon for finding his way.

And maybe I need Damon in my life more than I thought. Maybe I need to rediscover that part of myself I shut off after all these years.

"No, I'm okay," I reply. "I want to meet Stefan."

At that Caroline smiles and with an encouraging smile we both exit the car. She locks it as we step foot on the curb and lock arms with me as we approach the door. We're ushered inside by a red head who already knows Caroline by name and I'm taken aback by the scene before me.

Dark and rustic is exactly what I see before me. Redwood tables and steel beams intertwine in the candlelit room. There are lights hanging from the ceiling but their dimmed low enough and only stationed over the bar which has a waterfall behind it. At the entrance is a steel sign backlit by yellow light and rocks which bears the name of the bar and what would appear to be a swirling flame. There's a brick oven and fireplaces scattered throughout and live band playing music near the recreation area where kids are playing pool and couples are dancing.

And to say the place is packed would be an understatement.

A woman smiles at us as we approach the hostess area. "Caroline! Great to see you! You're booth will be ready in a moment. Stefan said to head over to the bar and have a drink on the house."

"Thank you, Andi!" Caroline sings, pulling me towards the bar.

I take notice of the bartenders, two men and a girl managing the bar. We approach and the girl bartender turns around and my heart stops. I should've recognized the perfect curls, familiar stature. Honestly, I've been looking for her since the moment we stepped in.

Yet here I am as shocked as ever.

Her perfectly lined eyes widen and her red lips pop open as she stutters out my name.

She's wearing a light blue shirt that's she's cut down to remake into a V-neck which shows the bars logo on the left side. It's what every employee is wearing but the fact that she's made hers slightly revealing tells me just how little has changed. Though the fact that she's behind the bar and not under it might suggest some sense of growth.

"Katherine."


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

I remember the last time I saw my sister.

We had been avoiding each other since the night I saw her try to make a move on Damon but with my departure to New York, my parents made all of us go to dinner. Thankfully, they kept us separated and Kat had kept to herself but that didn't make it any less awkward. There were times during the meal that I forgot she was even there but then I would see her and every feeling she evoked in me would come rushing back. It wasn't until we got home and got ready for bed that she actually spoke to me.

" _It's going to be weird not having you here_."

That was it. As soon as the words left her mouth, she went into her bedroom and I went into mine. She hadn't even bothered to apologize for once again making a move on my boyfriend. She wasn't there in the morning to drive me to the airport and neither of us made any effort to talk to each other and it wasn't like we were friends on any kind of social network. It was like she never existed.

The only time I knew what she was up to was when my parents filled me in and they did that sparingly. I knew she worked at the Grille but I didn't know in what capacity. And now that I know she works under Damon, I have more questions than answers. I never wondered nor cared what she had been up to before because I tried to focus on rebuilding my life. But now with her standing in front of me I'm full of curiosity.

She must be going through the same thing because the sight of me at the bar now has her eyes wide and an actual look of guilt taking over her face. The smile she had in greeting when she turned around has fallen from her face as she opens up her mouth and says, "I'll have Finn wait on you."

She starts to move to get him and I halt her with two words. "It's fine."

It's really not. I can feel the tension between us. There's so much left unsaid, so much unresolved that to get it all out here just wouldn't make sense. But since I plan on being here for the summer I have to get used to run-ins. Have to find a way to manage the awkwardness. Plus, there's Caroline beside me and I'm in shock that she's kept quiet this long. It won't be long before she adds her two cents. Better to deal with this myself than to have this whole night become about me not being able to be in the same room with my sister. It has to be about Caroline.

"Are you sure?"

Maybe my sister has grown. She certainly never cared for my feelings before. Only when she was hurting them. Maybe there is a chance to finally put everything behind us. At least our anger.

I nod and look towards Caroline who is watching our exchange with rapt attention and biting her lip. My best friend, bless her heart, chooses to order us both a glass of Rose instead of adding to this mess of our first conversation in years. Katherine gives us both a look before finally smiling tightly and going to get our drinks. With my sister no longer in my direct line of sight I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Well…" Caroline begins. "That went better than I was expecting."

"Me too. I wasn't expecting her to be here."

Caroline places a hand on my arm. "She must have switched shifts last minute. She wasn't scheduled to be here. I was just as shocked as you."

It's sweet to know that my best friend did have my best interest in mind when asking me to come here tonight. She knew just being around Damon and my hometown would be hard enough but with the added dose of Katherine it's all becoming a bit much. But I plan on sticking it out. I've avoided all of this long enough. And if my conversation with Damon says anything, maybe I'm ready to finally handle it.

Though that conversation didn't start out as smoothly as I liked.

 _Just say you missed me as much as I missed you._

His words are still haunting me. The last thing I expected was Damon to still feel as strongly about us as he did when I left. I expected him to have moved on—many times over. But he stood at the door of my hotel challenging my life and proving to me that even if his bed stayed warm, his heart remained open for me.

And to be honest, I don't know how I'm feeling about the weight of that truth.

Before I can focus on it further, Katherine returns with our drinks and asks, "Will you be needing anything else?"

Caroline and I both go to respond when a male voice interrupts us both. "That'll be all, Katherine."

My sister smiles and heads over to help another customer and instead of focusing on her I swivel around in my chair and see a man behind me. I recognize him; even without the black polo he's wearing that says Mystic Grille Manager on it. It would be hard not to with all the photos Caroline has flooded me with over the years. But he seems softer in person. His eyes greener, his hair more Edward Cullen like, and the smile that he gives my best friend fills my heart with such happiness because he just looks so in love. I can tell he's itching to move towards her, kiss her, embrace her; but he holds out his hand to me and before he can speak I interrupt him.

"You must be Stefan."

He smiles and I push aside his hand with the press of my body against his. Stefan must be taken aback by my forwardness but he embraces my hug all the same. When I pull back his face screams nervousness but I try to put him at ease.

"You're marrying my best friend. That puts us way past a hand shake."

Stefan smiles and I notice that Caroline has slipped her hand into his. It seems to have calmed him. "It's great to finally meet you, Elena. With all the FaceTime'ing and the way this one talks about you I feel like I already know you."

"The feeling is mutual." But I feel a lot better that I can now say I have seen my best friends future husband in the flesh. It brings a little truth to the myth of him.

Caroline laughs. "I'm just so happy my best friend and my best guy finally are meeting."

"That's mostly my fault," I own up. It's true. I haven't exactly been visiting. And I definitely haven't made meeting him easier by making my own issues get in the way. I'm realizing a lot about how foolish I've been lately. I've really missed a lot of what's been going on in my best friend's life. Phone calls and her visits can only do so much.

But Stefan isn't having it. "I haven't exactly been able to join Caroline on her trips to see you."

"You've had a business to run." I look around the place again still as in awe with it as I was walking in. "It's amazing!"

Stefan nervously runs his free hand through his hair. Smiling he says, "Thanks."

"You're being modest, Stef."

My eyes widen at the sound of that familiar voice. I would know it anywhere. I turn around and see Damon approaching. He's in the same black polo as Stefan and dark jeans, his hair in a severe state of disarray. For some reason the sight of me as him smiling wide. I can't exactly place why.

"And how is that, brother?" Stefan says.

It's the first time I'm hearing Damon referred to as a brother. The first time I'm even seeing the two of them together. It's enough to have my head doing a double take to try and point out the similarities. I find it in the jawline and their gorgeous hair—though Damon has raven black and Stefan a deep chestnut—but it's where the similarities end. Damon is his mother and from what I've seen of Stefan he looks more like Giuseppe than my ex-boyfriend ever has. Stefan seems quiet, soft-spoken whereas Damon fills a room with his presence.

Their entrances show that enough. Even the fact that female patrons of the Grille seem to have their eyes glues on Damon.

"Just 'thanks'? How about a 'hell yeah!'?" Damon says. "This place is packed!"

"It really is," I reply, finding my voice. I need to shake the feelings I'm having at the way these girls are still admiring Damon. I have no claim on him. I have a man of my own. I don't understand where these emotions to move the conversation and him along. "You both have done amazing."

"And you haven't even tried the food yet."

Damon grabs a passing waiter and asks if our table is ready. I certainly wasn't aware that he would be joining us and judging by the wide eyes of my best friend she hadn't known either. Still, when Damon starts heading towards a booth near the central fireplace we all follow—and I feel myself smile in relief at the fact that all these tables are filled with men. When Damon gestures for me to slide in, I send panicked eyes to Caroline who thankfully slips in quickly beside me, blocking Damon from doing the same. He smirks and slides in besides his brother across from us.

"So," Damon begins, "the gangs all here."

He's looking pointedly at Caroline as if waiting for her to launch into bridezilla mode. "I hadn't planned on jumping right into planning _tonight_ , Damon. Elena just got here."

"Then what's on the agenda? Catching her up on everything she's been missing."

The smirk on his face and the pointed way he looks at me tells me exactly what—rather who—he's referring to. He hasn't exactly been hiding his feelings towards me. It has me wondering just how much Caroline knows about what Damon said to me earlier. Has she known all along that Damon never really let go of the idea of our future together. Even as he was building a life for himself in the present.

"I just wanted to hang out at my best friend. Show my fiancé off. Avoid you."

Damon laughs. "Put a little kink in your plan, didn't I?"

"Just a tad."

His arm stretches out along the back of the booth and I can feel the enjoyment at Caroline's expense just rolling off him. "Aw, come on, Blondie. You better get used to me. We're going to be family soon."

"In-law," Caroline stresses.

I simply shake my head at their banter and look over towards Stefan and see that he is doing the same. It's good to know that someone else is seeing the craziness in their behavior. "How do you put up with this?"

Stefan meets my eyes, smiling. "Fill them up with drinks. They get really sibling-like then."

"Do not!" Caroline yelps.

"Of course not, babe," he replies, though even I can tell how placating his words sound.

The same waiter Damon grabbed from earlier races over and goes over the full spiel of specials and welcoming me to the Grille. He's clearly making sure he's hitting all his marks in front of his bosses and goes above and beyond to make sure he's being quick and clear with our orders and even wears a genuine smile the whole time he's talking to us. Damon and Stefan seem pleased and send him on his way with an order to bring us another round of drinks.

I look down at my now empty wine glass. I don't even remember finishing it.

Caroline wraps her arms around me, squeezing me close. "I really missed you, 'Lena."

And I feel it too. Feel the pieces of myself that have been missing in her absence falling back into place. My hands reach up and squeeze her arm, my eyes closing as I just focus on the feeling of her next to me. I've missed her so much and it's never quite hit me this hard before. It must be because it's the first time I'm visiting her. The first time I'm reliving how our lives used to be in our hometown. How easy it used to be to need her and have her be there within minutes.

When I open my eyes and smile I look up and see Damon looking at us with an odd look accompany the smile on his face. Almost as if he understands the emotion I'm feeling and he's happy for me, happy for Caroline. It's the only way I can describe it. Whatever emotion he's feeling it's not for himself, it's for me.

"I missed you, too," I say and I'm not sure if when the words leave my mouth if it's meant for only Caroline.

* * *

"That really was delicious," I say with my hand covering my mouth as I finish up the last remaining bite of my burger.

Dinner was amazing—as was everything about tonight. It definitely didn't pan out as bad as I thought it would. Seeing Katherine was awkward but dinner was filled with laughter and reminiscing about old times. Damon and Stefan told me everything about their awkward first meeting to their growing brotherly bond to coming up with the business together. Seeing Damon excited about his future and what he's doing instead of just enjoying his moment only made me all the more proud of him.

But now with the conversation dying down and dinner being cleared away, I feel my nerves building up. I've navigated tonight relatively unscathed. I didn't go off on Katherine and vice versa. Despite Damon questioning my life we managed our first interaction and first outing together with relative ease. But I'm beginning to wonder if maybe my luck is beginning to catch up with me.

And that's when my sister makes a reappearance.

I don't know if it's just the sight of seeing her and Damon together within the same line of sight or the way she taps on his shoulder to get his attention but I can feel myself shaking. I definitely know it has something to do with the way he jumps up immediately and excuses himself and she looks nervously in my direction as he leads her away from the table. I hate this feeling.

Caroline and Stefan are trying to get my attention but I can't stop my eyes from wandering over to where they're talking. Katherine seems flustered and upset about something and Damon is trying to calm her down. I'm wondering if it has something to do with me. I know I'm very aware every time his hand touches her shoulder and the way his face is close to hers.

 _What is wrong with me?_

I let Damon go a long time ago. We both showed such little faith in each other that there seemed to be no other option than to just cut ties and let ourselves grow. So why is it bothering me so much to see him with my sister? I guess because those unresolved feelings about them still linger.

And I honestly just don't have it in me any longer to watch.

"I think I'm going to head home," I say, gathering up my things.

"Are you sure?" Caroline says.

I give her a hug. "I'm exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow. We've got lots of planning and only two months to do it in."

She nods, hugging me back. When she releases me, I go to throw down some money for my half of the meal but Stefan is already holding up a hand to stop me. He slides out of the booth and moves to hug me goodbye. "Your money is no good here."

"Are you sure?" I ask, embracing him.

He pulls back and holds me at arm's length, smiling. "I'm sure. You're family."

I give him a half-hearted smile back wondering if he knows just how close I came to be just that.

With a little wave good bye and plans to meet up tomorrow I start to make my way out of the Grille. Damon was still deep in conversation with Katherine as I was leaving so I tried to slip passed him but just as I reach the door and step outside, I hear his voice calling out for me. I step out into the night pretending I didn't hear him but his voice has followed me out here.

"Elena! Wait up!"

I stop and turn around, seeing him jogging towards me. My arms are folded over my chest a clear indication that my walls are up. I just want to get out of here, call Elijah, get my thoughts straight. But clearly Damon isn't letting me get away that easy.

"You left without saying goodbye."

I shrug. "We're seeing each other tomorrow. Plus, you were busy talking to Katherine."

Even I can hear the bitchiness in my own voice.

"I was just helping her switch some shifts around. She's having some trouble at home."

"Doesn't matter to me either way. Just want to get home."

Damon sighs. "I'm just making sure everything is okay."

A part of me wants to just let it all out and tell him everything isn't okay. That seeing him with Katherine still bothers me and that I don't understand how if he's still rooting for us he could ever hire my sister and continue any kind of relationship with her after everything. But I can't. These are things I have no validation to feel. Things I can't even understand why I'm feeling to begin with.

So, instead of letting him behind my walls I push everything I'm feeling behind them. "I'm just tired."

He nods and because I used to know him so well I can tell he isn't buying what I'm selling. But he's kind enough to let it go. For now.

"Okay. See you tomorrow?"

I nod and without another word I turn around and head towards the hotel. I'm hoping I'll find some clarity on my way there before I have to call Elijah. Because the last thing I want is to bring Elijah into the mess that's become my head. The mess that's become my life.

How did everything suddenly become so unraveled ever since I decided to come back home?

* * *

"I'm just so happy you're home, baby girl!"

My mom squeezes me tight—nearly to the point of suffocation. I choke back a response and she pulls back muttering an apology and adjusting the strap of my white lace top and smoothing my hair to perfection—not a stray strand out of place. My father takes that moment to put a hand on my shoulder and smile down at me, mimicking my mother's words in his own stoic way.

"Happy to have you back, sweetie."

I smile at them both and take a seat on the love seat as my father takes his usual spot on the lone chair and my mother nearby at the edge of the couch. My family home hasn't changed much in the time I've been gone. It's still immaculately clean and decorated to my mother's perfect taste. There is not a single piece of furnishing that is out of place. I've never noticed the fine lines that she has kept everything between.

"Me, too. I can't believe how long it's been."

My mother smiles. "So, how's Elijah? Is he coming to the wedding?"

Shaking my head and smiling, I say, "He's good. I talked to him last night. He's going to make a visit in a few weeks and of course he'll be here for the wedding."

I'm nervous about his upcoming visit. I'm nervous about him seeing my hometown and where I'm from but that's not what has me on edge. It's more about having Elijah in the same place where Damon is, where Katherine is. He knows me as this confident girl from the city, not this unsure person I've become since returning here. I'm just so confused and he could even sense it through the phone. What will he notice when he's right in front of me?

"Well, he's so busy running a hospital. I could understand why he would be too busy to come to our small little town."

"His family owns the hospital. He's on the board."

My father clears his throat. "Don't downplay his achievements, Elena. He's achieved quite a lot at such a young age. Reminds me of you, honey."

I give an uncomfortable smile remembering Dr. Laughlin's words ringing clear in my head. "I'm still in an internship. I've got a long way to go."

"Top of your class I heard. That's staying ahead of the game."

"Still… I don't know. A lot of the professors have been saying I'm lacking the drive and passion for it."

My parents balk at my statements. Anyone claiming that their daughter who has been on this track since birth is faltering in her steps is just not something that sits well with them. It's my father who finds words. "Who is saying these things? They clearly don't know what they're talking about."

"This is their job to know these things." I sigh. I don't know what made me open up so quickly about what's been bothering me to my parents. It'll only make them disappointed in me. They have raised me to be their golden child, the success. I've just accepted this role with a smile, not wanting to upset them. I've had to pick up on the slack my sister left and she left quite a lot of weight on my shoulders.

They're both studying my face, seeing something in my gaze that changes both of theirs to apprehensive. My mother finally says, "What are you saying, Elena?"

My hands go to cover my face. When they drop to my lap, their faces are still staring worriedly at me. "I was just advised to make sure this is the future I want and that if it is to find a passion for doing it."

As I watch my father's face fill with that dreaded disappointment, my mother decides to take over the reins of this conversation and say the worst thing she could possibly say. "Elena, you don't want to end up like your sister."

"What does that mean?"

"It means…" She huffs. "It means her life is going nowhere. She works at that godforsaken Grille. Lives in those horrible apartments at the end of town with all those drug addicts and… Well, let's just say she's made quite a mess of her life."

I'm confused. "I thought she was in college? Building a life for herself."

My mother goes to speak but my father silences her with a look. "Let's just say she made a mistake she can't come back from."

"What kind of mistake? What's going on?"

None of this is adding up. I haven't exactly been checking up on my sister but I was half-way listening when my parents told me she was in college and getting her life on track. She didn't seem to have a drug problem or be an alcoholic by any means. I know Damon and Stefan would never allow that in their new business no matter what Damon's past with her is.

"Pay it no mind, Elena. She decided the kind of daughter and sister she wanted to be long ago and she is living up to the exact path she paved for herself."

For some reason his words stir up a sense of protectiveness within me. It's something I haven't felt in a long time and despite everything she has put me through hearing my parents talking about my twin-sister, their child in such an off-hand matter breaks my heart. If Katherine is in trouble than maybe she needs help, not abandonment.

Damon always used to say that there was something that I didn't understand about my sister. Something that not exactly excused, but explained her hatred and anger towards me and my parents. It was something that he related to, something he understood, something that linked the two of them in a way I never understood. Hearing the dismissive way my father talks about Katherine, I'm beginning to understand myself.

Damon never felt enough for his father. Is it possible that my sister's fury and revenge stems from that same feeling from our parents? From me?

"Stay on this path we've created for you, Elena," my father says. His eyes are hard, unyielding. He's put over twenty years into my future and he by no means wants me to veer off of it. With his harsh words about my sister still ringing through me, I know what will face me if I disobey him. And my punishment may very well be worse with how much work and time they've put into my future.

"Listen to your father, sweetie," my mother says. There's a warning in her eyes that validates my thoughts. "He knows what's best for you and look how perfectly everything has fallen into place because of his guidance."

I know what she's talking about. I graduated Valedictorian because of him, got a full ride to a prestigious school, and was accepted into one of the top pre-med programs and internships. I even met Elijah because of the path he set me on. It would be foolish to veer off of it, to challenge it and go out on my own.

But Dr. Laughlin's words struck a chord in me; they challenge the belief that my father truly knows what's best for me.

 _It's not about being successful and doing what's expected of you. It's about wanting this with every fiber of your being._

She told me to find my happiness, my passion. Not check things off my list.

But look how they've treated my sister.

"Any who!" my mother cries, cutting through the tension. She stands and squeezes my father's shoulder before brushing past me towards the kitchen. "I'll get brunch ready. Caroline and her mother will be here any second!"

My father stands and follows her. When he reaches me, he makes no move to reach out and comfort me. His words are hard as he speaks. "I know this is a difficult time, a stressful time, but I've raised you with everything you need to know to make it through it. Let your sisters life be a lesson in what happens when you don't meet my expectations for you."

And then he leaves.

But when he does a strange thing happens. Instead of scaring me into following his words, they make me want to do the very thing I've avoided Mystic Falls since graduation and finally answer some questions that's bothered me for years.

It's time I finally talked to my sister.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Caroline asks.

I stare at the tiny weather-beaten apartment building before me. Its siding is grey and worn, shingles crooked, two-by-fours covering up some of the windows, the door scraped up and the screen torn open. Shrubbery and weeds have overgrown to the point of neglect and I can barely make out the stone pathway leading to its front door. But this is my sister's home.

My sister lives here.

 _Here._

I had the need to jet the whole ride over from my parents' house. And it didn't help that Caroline has pretty much been trying to talk me out of this since the moment we left that brunch and I begged her to take me here. But the moment I filled her in on everything that my parents said and how I can't believe everything she's been keeping from me, she felt guilty enough to drive me anyway. To be fair, she did try to tell me about Damon and Stefan and as she keeps saying, Katherine's secrets aren't hers to tell. And as she's said, Damon is the only person who knows the whole story.

And I know she's right but… I deserved to know that my sisters life has spiraled this much.

Being here and seeing the place my sister has been living is putting aside any issues I have with my best friend and my own fear over what's about to happen. I need to figure out what's going on with Katherine. I need to help her even though for as long as I can remember she's never bothered to help me. In fact, she's been the main source of my strife.

 _But she's my sister._

Turning back towards Caroline, I give her a small nod. "I need to do this."

"It can wait. If you're not ready for this… it can wait."

I sigh. "I'm never going to be ready for this but with everything my parents said I actually have the strength to push passed my fear. I don't want to lose that nerve."

Caroline studies me for a moment before giving me an encouraging smile and saying, "I'll be right here if you need me."

"Thank you."

"And we have a nail appointment and a major bridal magazine stack waiting for us afterwards. So, focus on that."

I smile at her and with a shaky breath I step out of Caroline's car and follow the uneven stones towards Katherine's home. I'm not even sure she's home but Caroline called the Grille while we were heading over here and she wasn't working. That made Caroline pretty sure she was here.

I step towards the building and let my eyes scan the list of names along the mailboxes and find our last name next to the number 2B. _Her apartment_. I reach forward and grab hold of the door knob, turning it free and stepping inside. Inside it's loud and busy. There are people mulling around in the hallways and I hear screaming and yelling from inside several of the rooms as I make my way up to the second floor where Katherine lives.

The stairs creak and with each step I repeat the same thing over and over again in my head: _I can't believe my sister lives here._

When I do I find Katherine's apartment, I hesitate. There's no busy bar to interrupt us. No best friend to pull my attention. This long awaited interaction is going to happen the moment I knock on that door. No going back. I take a deep breath and then my closed fist reaches up and knocks on the door. There's a doorbell but seeing as part of it is currently springing free from the rest I'm going to guess it's broken.

Just as I'm trying to decide between knocking again and walking away, the door opens up to reveal my sister dressed in skinny black jeans and a blue tank with a black meshed tank over it. Her hair is curled with the top portion gathered back. At first her eyes are focused on her phone but then they slide up my black tank and plaid button-up combo and meet my eyes and I see her own grow wide.

" _Elena_? H-How did you… Wh-Why are you… What are you doing here?"

I swallow the anger and fear down my throat and try to focus back on that feeling that started in my parents living room and has been lingering ever since. That feeling and instinct to protect my sister no matter what she's done to me. The first sisterly connection I've felt for her since before I left for school.

So instead of answering her questions, I ask her one of my own. And despite the shakiness in my voice, it comes out firm and full of concern I never knew I could feel again for her. "Is everything okay, Katherine?"

She lets out a humorless laugh, gesturing around the place I haven't been invited into. The place that I can just get little glimpses of over her shoulder. I can see that the walls are devoid of paint, the furniture sparse and secondhand. Its looks like she barely lives here. Like it's just a place to rest her head when she's not working.

"Since when do you care? You haven't spoken to me in years."

I bite back a retort, trying to prevent myself from rehashing the past until we deal with what's going on with her. My piece will be spoken the moment I make sure she's okay. "That doesn't mean I stopped being your sister even when I didn't want to be."

"Yeah, I bet you spent hours wondering what I was up to in your fancy brownstone with your fancy boyfriend doing your fancy job. Minutes even."

I sigh. "I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't angry with you, Kat. I was. I hated you. You tormented me. But I know something's going on with you and I know our parents aren't doing a thing about it. But I'm going to."

And I almost find myself focused on the fact that all my words were tensed in the past. As if those emotions no longer belong to me. Like somehow in the drive over and the walk up all my hate and anger fell away to make room for the huge amount of concern I have for my twin.

But Katherine isn't letting it go that easy. And really? How could I ever expect she would? I've always been the one to keep letting her back in. While her chip and grudge remained firmly in place. A grudge I've never understood.

"What does it matter to you?" Katherine yells. "So, you can hear my little sob story and then turn your back just like _your_ parents did? Be ashamed to be related to me? Have a little horror story to bring back to the big city?"

"No," I say back firmly. I almost want to reach out to her but I stop myself. We're definitely not there yet. "I'm not going to turn my back on you. I want to help you, Kat. I want to get you out of here."

She balks at me, her mouth opening and closing almost comically. But her eyes are fierce with a burning hatred and seeing it aimed at me and knowing all she's done keep on conflicting me. If anything I should be the one going off on her and spitting out all the words I've held back all these years. But I can't.

"Go back to your perfect little life, Elena. Don't worry about me. Karma's a bitch and so am I, right?"

"Stop it!" I yell and somehow silence follows. The sound of my voice, the desperation in it has managed to quiet everyone in this godforsaken place. Even my sister. "We have a lot of things to deal with but that's not what's important right now. What's important right now is whatever is going on with you!"

I see Katherine chew her cheek but for she says, quietly, "What's with the change of heart?"

"Mom and Dad said some things."

She nods and I see her blinking back tears even though her face remains taut. When she finally looks back at me her eyes are glassy but her words when she speaks cut like a knife. "The parentals pulled back the curtain for you, huh?"

"Just talk to me, Kat."

Katherine studies me for a second before pushing the door open more with her back and gesturing for me to come in. The moment I step inside I sense just how uncomfortable this makes her; having me in her home. I try to keep my face neutral as I look around. Walking straight towards the beige sectional I try not to let my eyes linger on the older television across from it that's resting on some empty crates Kat probably got from the restaurant or the sheets being used to cover the window. Instead I focus on my sister because right now she's the only thing that matters.

"What did Miranda and Grayson tell you?"

I make a face at the way she's referring to our parents by their first names before I simply say, "Just that you made some mistakes you couldn't come back from and that you were living here."

She sighs, tapping her fingers against her knees. "And that's all you know?"

"Yes," I respond. "All I knew before I came home was that you were in school and working at the Grille. Though I didn't know until now that it was Damon and Stefan's."

Taking a deep breath and wiping underneath her eyes, she looks at me. "I was in school and living at home. I didn't start working at the Grille until… Well, until after everything. It wasn't even open."

"Caroline was telling me it's only been a year or two."

She nods, agreeing. "In school I had this one history class about Vikings. It was my favorite class. The teacher, Professor Smith was young and fresh and fun. It had nothing to do with my major but the way he taught, the energy he brought in the room; it just inspired. He was by far the most popular professor on campus."

I watch as her hand clasp on her lap and she seems focus on a stain on her beige carpet. Whatever turned her life around from that inspired student to this overworked young woman before me is about to be revealed and I find myself inching closer, angling my body towards her and watching her face as she continues.

"One night my friends and I decided to try this new bar a few towns over that we heard didn't check ID's. We got inside no problem and ordered drinks. A lot, actually. They had met some guys and I let them do their thing as I went to get us another round. Professor Smith was there at the bar."

"Oh no," I say. Silently hoping this is as bad as the story goes. Maybe she got kicked out of college for underage drinking. Our parents would be pretty pissed about that. Honestly, there's no way a professor—even as cool a one as she's proclaiming—can let something like that slide. Right?

"I wish that's where everything ended. A thousand times a day I do." Katherine sighs. "Since my friends were busy, Professor Smith and I got talking. So much so that he insisted that I call him Niklaus. I volleyed back that I preferred Nik and he laughed and smiled saying he did to. It got late and my friends went home with the guys they had met. Nik offered me a ride home."

Something about the way her tone changes, catches my attention and I somehow manage to fill in the blanks all on my own. "You slept with him."

I say the words without judgement, without contempt. It's merely fact. I can tell it happened.

Katherine nods, tears slowly spilling down her cheek. "It happened so fast. One moment we were driving to the dorms and then he said something about dropping me off a block before so we wouldn't get caught. Then we were kissing and then… Then it just escalated. The next morning I felt disgusting and forget about how awkward attending his classes were. Nik pretended like nothing had happened."

"I'm sorry, Kat."

She takes a deep breath and continues on without acknowledging I've even spoken. "A few weeks later I started getting sick. I already knew what was wrong but I still went to the campus doctor and found out for sure."

That lump I had in my throat at my parents makes reappearance followed by the same thought that formed in my head then. My eyes search the apartment looking for any signs to accompany the truth but I find no evidence to support it. It's still bare and devoid of any personal items. Did she do what I think she did?

"You were pregnant?" I ask.

Katherine nods. "I was. The first few months I hid it and since I was staying at the dorms most nights it was easy. But then I couldn't any longer. I was showing too much and I finally confessed to Nik and our parents."

"That's when they kicked you out."

"Yeah." She lets out a humorless laugh. "Can't have a baby out of wedlock. That would be scandalous! And with a professor? Forget about it."

"But that's their grandchild. I don't understand how they could just turn their back on you like that."

Katherine is staring at me with the oddest look. Just when I'm about to ask what her problem is she finally says, "You and I grew up in a very different home, Elena. You were the golden child that could do no wrong. I was always expected to be in trouble. In their minds, I had just proven right everything they thought of me."

"Why are you always saying that?" I balk.

"Are you serious? Because it's the truth! You were Daddy's little obedient daughter and Mommy's mini me. I couldn't keep up or compete with you!"

"I never asked you to. They never did."

She shakes her head. "They did. Anytime I didn't do as well as you or do what I was told I never heard the end of it. ' _Why can't you be more like your sister?_ ' was all they ever said to me along with words and phrases like: disappointed, let down, going nowhere."

I run my hands through my hair in frustration. This isn't where I wanted this conversation to go. "Katherine, no matter what it still doesn't make sense that they would turn their backs on you and that baby."

"If it had happened to you they would've been there, made sure everything was done right. But the difference with me is they expect this behavior. _You_ would never be in this situation. They didn't blame the professor for taking advantage, they blamed me for pursuing him. I didn't stop him, Elena. I didn't say no. That's all that mattered to them."

For a moment I watch her, seeing the broken parts of herself she's long kept hidden from me. She had such a wall up of snappy comebacks and hurtful remarks that I never considered that it was all to protect herself from getting hurt. I always thought we grew up in the same house, with the same parents but seeing our life through Katherine's eyes tells me that maybe we didn't. I grew up in a home of love and support while my sister stood in my shadow dealing with parents who constantly compared her to me.

And I had no idea.

I thought those comments they made were because of all the trouble she was getting into. Like that they hoped she would see me as an example. But the way Katherine is telling it is as if there has been a much bigger problem going on.

It doesn't forgive all that she's done to me but it helps me to understand her a little better. I may have more questions about things my parents have done or possibly that I have done but I finally have an answer to why she could hate me so much. Even if I wish she hadn't.

"I can't believe them," I finally say. I'm learning a lot about my parents since I've been home. Since I've started questioning my life and the choices that brought me to Dr. Laughlin's office.

"Well, it's the truth."

"So, you had the baby."

Katherine nods and wipes away under her eyes. She wears a smile despite the tears as she speaks. "A girl. Nadia."

"Where is she?" I ask and the look that crosses my sister's face almost makes me wish I hadn't. I had only wanted to meet this niece of mine that I had no idea existed but instead I've cause a look of such pain to cross my twins face that my heart aches. "Katherine, what happened?"

"Nik has full custody of her."

This time I actually reach out to her, placing my hand on top of hers and squeezing tight. "What? How?"

"He brought it to the courts and proved that I was an unfit mother. That he could provide a better, more stable life for her than I could."

I shake my head. "I honestly can't believe some judge would do that."

Katherine is full on crying now. "Look where I live, Elena? This is no place for a little girl. Not when Nik has some big house near campus. I didn't have the support of my parents or anyone except for Damon. Nik had a whole room. And bartending is my only income. Nik no longer has his job at the college but he's a best-selling author, he saved. Not to mention Nik brought up my past behavior and how Nadia was conceived and well… the judge had no choice."

"Damon was there?"

For some reason despite everything this is the thing I noticed. Maybe it's because of the way Damon and her were talking at the Grille or the way her voice said his name, but it stands out. It could just be because I can't dispute any of Nik's claims against her when she compares their lives the way she did. Still I'm disgusted that some judge could let Nik have full custody and not split custody. But with everything against her, my sister didn't stand a chance. Even with Damon on her side.

She nods. "He's been a godsend. When he found out I was pregnant, he gave me a job. When our parents kicked us out, he gave me a place to live until I got on my feet. He's flexible with my schedule because Nik has full control over when I can see her and he found me a great lawyer for my appeal and is helping with the cost of it."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Kat," I reply. And it's the truth. We're sisters and despite everything, I would've been there for her.

My sister seems shocked by my answer. "You would've defended me? After everything?"

"After everything," I repeat. "We have a lot to work through and get over but if I had known this was happening I would've pushed all of that aside to make sure Nadia had her mom. That you had your daughter."

"Thank you, Elena," she says, placing her other hand over mine.

And we may not be friends yet—definitely not sisters—but maybe this is the first step towards that journey. Maybe for once we have reached an understanding.

* * *

After the emotional talk with my sister, the afternoon spent with Caroline getting pampered and picking out ideas for her wedding was just what I needed. The conversation had taken so much out of me and somehow my best friend knew that all I needed was a hug and to lose myself in her life for a little while. And despite all the fun we got quite a lot done.

She conveyed her theme to me and we came up with some great ideas, picked out ideas for floral arrangements and bridesmaids dresses as well as the kind of dress she would want. We even got ideas to decorate the Lockwood Mansion, the staple venue for the people of Mystic Falls which just happens to belong to Mason Lockwood's uncle.

When she pulls up to her place with Stefan, I'm completely spent. Everything is catching up with me and I don't know how I'll react when I see Damon tonight. We're all meeting to discuss the wedding and Caroline plans on giving us all our jobs to make it easier for her to get everything done. I need to be focused but with Katherine's praise of my ex-boyfriend earlier playing on in my head, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for Damon for being there for her when no one else was.

After years of not understanding their connection, I'm finally beginning to.

Katherine never felt like enough in my family and Damon grew up in a home where he felt the same way. They bonded over that, understood. And I got in the way of that relationship when I took Katherine's friend and made him my boyfriend. And when Damon found out that he had a brother, he ran to Katherine because now he understood her even more. Because now he too had a sibling to compete with, a sibling that he felt he didn't measure up to.

It doesn't mean I forgive either of them for their actions but I understand them.

Caroline opens up her front door and I smile at just how much this place reminds me of her; the soft almost pastel colors mixing in with the dark woods of the floor and tables that are so obviously Stefan. It's welcoming and warm and I just want to collapse on the white fabric couch the second I see it.

But then there's Damon, standing behind it and bringing a beer bottle to his lips.

I don't know what's come over me but I drop my purse on a nearby chair and cross the space to him and wrap my arms around him. He seems shocked by my forwardness but then I feel one of his arms embrace me, pulling me closer.

"Not that I'm complaining," he says, "but what brought this on?"

I pull back and look up at him, forgetting Caroline and Stefan staring oddly at us from in front of the massive TV. "Thank you for what you've been doing for Katherine. Thank you for not abandoning her like her family did."

His eyes are wide as saucers as they fly back and forth across my face, but then they soften and he gives me a grateful smile. "Finally."

And he doesn't need to clarify it for me because I know that word covers so much. Finally I reached out to my sister. Finally we talked. Finally I know the truth about their relationship and just how bad my family has been. Finally I know she has a daughter and I have a niece.

And maybe, just maybe he means…

Finally I decided to stop running.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: A huge, HUGE, HUUUUGGGGEEE thank you to Morgan (morvamp) for helping me with this chapter. To say I was stuck would be an understatement. I've been working on this chapter for days! Working and reworking and rewriting until it still just didn't feel right. Thankfully, Morgan was able to help and knew exactly what this chapter needed to give it the depth it was missing. And now I finally feel confident enough in it to post. All thanks to my peaches x3 If you haven't already (AND I MEAN SERIOUSLY) check out her fics. They're honestly some of the best out there!**

 **Now enjoy some dress shopping and cake tasting before you get to that last bit and really start to hate me...**

* * *

"Dress… Done!" Caroline squeals, writing on a page in her wedding planning binder.

I smile, putting my arms around her and squeezing her shoulder. We're standing in the bridal boutique, surrounded by various shades of white gowns and beige walls. We've been here for hours, but seeing Caroline put on her wedding gown for the first time was worth the wait. "It's absolutely gorgeous! Even your mom was crying."

Caroline closes her binder, hugging it to her chest. "I think it's finally hitting her that I'm getting married. I moved out but I think now it's for real. She's worried I'll forget about her."

"You could never. She's your mom."

"I know. It's just a lot. Dad left. I'm gone. She doesn't want to be alone."

I look over to where Liz is paying for the dress and chatting happily with the saleswoman putting away Caroline's dress to be fitted. Her dress is strapless and lace with a raised front and layered bottom. I have to be honest, I always imagined Caroline in a huge princess ball gown with lots of bling, but this dress is simple and elegant. The moment Caroline slipped it on she beamed and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. She just looked so happy, so blissfully happy that you know it was _the_ dress.

This is the dress she was meant to walk down the aisle and marry Stefan in.

And that happiness radiating from her is what caused her mom to break down. Because suddenly Caroline wasn't her little girl anymore. She was a woman about to become someone's wife, someone's forever.

I shake my head. Liz's tears weren't out of worry for herself or her daughter. They were proof of happiness in the woman Caroline's become. "She's just realizing how grown up you've become these past few years."

Caroline nods. "Still need my mom."

My returning smile doesn't have its usual sparkle because now I'm thinking of my own mom. Has she ever really loved me for who I am or just the way I've been compliant? I've been the perfect doting daughter, never strayed off the path they laid out for me. With the exception of Damon, I've never done anything they haven't approved of. Until now.

Our words the other day were argumentative. And then I went to Katherine and it opened my eyes to how I could've just as easily been in her shoes had I not done every little thing my parents wanted. Looking at my life now I have to wonder if I chose medicine or if it's just what my parents wanted. And all this thinking and revaluating of my life has me feeling like I'm diving without a parachute.

I used to think we were close but seeing the way Liz walks towards Caroline, smiling through happy tears and giving her a fierce hug, I don't think I've ever experienced that kind of unconditional love. I've felt their pride and happiness, but never this. Never just that deep love.

"Well," Liz says, pulling back and addressing me, "Caroline is all done. How about we get the maid of honor dress checked off as well."

"We don't have to," I say, knowing I've already made this trip enough about myself. "It's Caroline's _Say Yes to the Dress_ day."

Caroline is already shaking her head. "We're here, Elena. And I think I have the perfect dress in mind."

"Do tell," I nudge, linking my arm through hers as her mom leads us up a floor to where all the bridesmaids dresses are held. I'm pretty exhausted, to be honest. I'm not really in the mood to pull off a fashion show for Caroline. But whatever the bride wants.

"Well, I'm thinking light, flirty, fun. Pale pink chiffon tapered out just at the knee. Sleeveless with gathered fabric at the top."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Yes," she smiles. I look ahead as Liz steps into an open room full of bright colors and different fabrics and styles. It's bright and fun and full of opportunities. Everything is color coordinated but I know that finding Caroline's ideal dress for me to wear is going to be harder than she thinks.

But then her hand reaches out and straight ahead, right in the center of the room on a mannequin, is the exact dress she is describing. It beautiful and exactly how she described it: flirty and fun. I squeeze her arm and say, "It's beautiful!"

Again, not what I was expecting for Caroline's wedding, but I'm slowly learning that this isn't going to be anything like what I imagined. The vision I have in my head is from the Caroline who was afraid of love. She's a different woman now. Caroline isn't marrying Stefan for the big beautiful wedding, she's marrying him because she loves him. It's as simple and beautiful as that.

"It's already paid for and in your size. We called ahead and had them do this for you. It's going to look perfect on you."

"But I haven't even tried it on."

Caroline shrugs and waves her hand. "Please. I know your size and what looks good on you. We've been shopping together since we were kids."

I hug her. "And here you are getting married."

"Can you believe it?"

I squeeze her as tightly as I do my eyes to keep myself together and hold back the tears. But they're still there when I open my eyes and release her, staring at her through glassy eyes. "I'm just so happy for you, Care. But you didn't need to pay for it."

"My treat," she smiles. "You came here for me. It was the least I could do."

"I couldn't miss your wedding."

She stares at me, meaningfully. "You know what I mean. You're here. Planning this with me. Getting this sorted out with Damon and Katherine. I'm just not sure I could do this without you."

The tears are really falling now as I hug her again. "I'm sorry I've made you doubt me. I won't ever let it happen again."

I hear her let out a little choke of a cry. "Well, you're really going to hate me now."

"What?" And when we pull apart I see her happy tears are gone and her face is now full of apprehension. She chews on her lip and gives her mom a pleading look. I can't be more confused. "Caroline, what's going on?"

"I need you to pick out our cake."

"Okay…" I say. "I can do that."

"The thing is," she pauses, takes a breath. "Well, Damon's going with you."

My eyes go wide, but I try to keep my panic attack at bay. I had to expect this when I found out Damon would be the Best Man. We were going to have to plan together. The only thing I can manage back is, "Why?"

She gives me a nervous smile. "Something about representing Stefan's point of view. Stefan and I can't go because we had a last minute opening with the top florist in Virginia. Damon offered himself up."

"Of course he did."

And I'm actually smiling now. Not running for the hills and trying to get myself out of it. I'm actually embracing and accepting that I'll be spending the day with Damon. We'll be trying out cake and talking about the wedding and being alone together since the night he showed up at my hotel room. And I'm okay with it. I have to be. Caroline is my best friend and she's marrying his brother. We're going to be in each other's lives and once upon a time he was my best friend.

"Are you sure it's okay? If it's not, we can just move some stuff around or I'll have Stefan go with Damon to do cake and we can do flowers. I mean, they do run a restaurant. They'll know what tastes good. And I can give them strict instructions or email the bakery designs ahead of time."

I place my hands on my best friend's shoulders. "It's fine. Damon and I have this cake covered. Just send me what you want and I'll handle it."

"Really?"

"Of course. Damon and I reached an understanding. We got this."

Caroline practically attacks me with her hug. "Oh, thank you, Elena!"

And I hug her back because what are friends for?

* * *

"Personally, I'm a big fan of the chocolate."

I place down my fork, chewing a bite of almond amaretto cake before I give my reply. Smiling, I say, "Of course you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you have an unnatural affection for chocolate for a guy who owns as many leather jackets as you do." I hear him laugh as I pick up my fork reaching for a slice of Italian cream, trying and failing to hide my smile. "Which one?" I ask, placing it quickly in my mouth and closing my lips around the fork as I slide it free.

"Huh?" Damon responds and I can still feel his eyes on me. Watching my mouth. My lips.

"Which chocolate?" I try to laugh but I can't help but feel subconscious over the way he's staring at me. It's without shame and full of something I'm scared to name. He knows I have a boyfriend. He knows my thoughts on his love confession a few days ago and yet I find myself craving the look he's giving me. He's been sneaking versions of it since the moment I slid into his car.

Since I didn't have a car, Damon picked me up at my hotel. At first it was awkward but he broke right through that launching into some story about a customer giving him a hard time at the Grille. After he got the conversation going it was easy to keep it up. I filled him in on what Caroline told me she was looking for in terms of design and he told me how Stefan just cared that it tasted good.

When we got to the bakery, we were given plates of every single kind of cake combination there could possibly be. At first it was overwhelming to have all these plates in fronts of us and the responsibility of choosing Caroline and Stefan's wedding cake. We certainly didn't want to ruin any part of this wedding.

Thankfully we quickly crossed off several flavors and somehow narrowed it down to the final five: chocolate and buttercream, Italian cream, almond amaretto, citrus splendor, and chocolate cookies and cream. It amazed me how similar our tastes were. Together we breezed through it, only arguing over cookies and cream and citrus splendor. I thought the cookies and cream was too childish and he wasn't crazy about the tart taste of the citrus splendor.

So, of course we tasted them again. And again.

"Uh," Damon says, taking his eyes off my mouth to look down at his plate. "I like th-the chocolate and buttercream. It's a crowd pleaser."

I nod, reaching over to place my fork into the slice of chocolate and buttercream and bring it to my mouth. It's delicious—melt in your mouth delicious. "I agree. You can't go wrong with it. But is it too simple? Too...ordinary?"

Damon shakes his head. "I think it's perfect. People always choose fancy flavors that no one ever eats. In my book? Chocolate? Good. Buttercream? _Good_!"

I roll my eyes. "I honestly can't argue with you. Caroline hasn't exactly chosen anything I imagined her choosing. She's going for what feels right. And I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually think this is the way to go."

"Why is it so hard to say? Because it's not upper-brow?"

Nodding, I say, "Yes? Most people try to out-do themselves at weddings. But I think we have ourselves a winner here."

"And I agree," he responds. "Stefan and Caroline aren't trying to impress anyone here. They just want to celebrate."

"And that's how it should be." I smile because I'm so happy everything has been going so well. Caroline's wedding planning, while overwhelming, has been going quite easily. Damon and I are getting along, and Katherine and I are on speaking terms and working towards getting back custody of my niece. My return home hasn't been anything like I expected.

I look over at Damon and find him smiling too. A genuine, real smile that lights up his whole face. His eyes almost seem to sparkle in the sunlight coming in from the large window beside us. It causes me to look away, down at the plate in front of me as I suddenly become absorbed in the pattern my fork is creating in the icing.

"So, we're decided then?"

I nod. "Chocolate and buttercream it is."

"Look at us," Damon says, leaning back in his chair. "Agreeing on something all civil-like."

"We've been civil."

"Especially since that out of the blue hug at the future Avery's."

Blushing, I reach for another bite of the almond amaretto—a favorite of mine—and try to hide my face. That freaking hug. He's never going to let it go. He's been making little jokes about it every chance he gets. "I was just grateful and more than a little overwhelmed."

"Hey, if it gets you close to me I'm not complaining."

"But you'll just continue to embarrass me about it."

Damon leans forward, picking up his fork and digging into another bite of chocolate cake. "What is there to be embarrassed about? It's only me and you."

 _Me and you._

 _God._ If only it was that easy.

I'm too conflicted over everything. Being back here—being around Damon—is stirring up everything I've been burying deep down inside. Making me forget the life I've created in New York. The life I built to run away from this. But now that I'm not running and now that I'm seeing the truth behind things it's muddying everything. It's too easy and familiar being with Damon. He's just so real about everything that it's hard not to open up to him and ask him whatever pops in my head. Like now.

"Was your connection with Kat really always about not feeling good enough?"

His eyes widen, but he swallows and answers as if this question hasn't come out of nowhere; as if we've been talking about our past and my sister this whole time. "I think there was an attraction initially but the more we talked the more that shared connection grew. The more that friendship took over. And once you got in the middle, there was no way I was crossing that line."

"I really got in the middle?" I find myself placing my elbow on the table and resting my chin in my palm as I eagerly await his answer. I've fought against these questions for so long that to have answers to them feels like putting my mind at ease.

He frowns. "With the way you and Katherine fought, I had to choose a side. And I chose you. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to do my damnedest to mend your relationship. But your parents… They had already created that wedge too big for me to bridge it."

"Yeah, I never realized how cruel they've been. How… manipulating."

Damon looks at me curiously. "What's happening with you and your parents?"

My eyes widen as I realize what I've said. I quickly sit back in my seat, back straight, hands clasped on my lap. It's a pose my mother has been instilling in me since I was little. Very Rose DeWitt Bukater. Just because I've fallen back into familiarity with Damon doesn't mean I'm ready to let him in to everything in my life.

Especially my parents.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on."

"Elena I spent years with you. Years before that talking with Katherine. You have never, ever uttered a single negative thing about either of them. Something happened." Then suddenly recognition takes over his face. "That's what made you seek out Katherine. That's why you demanded to know what was going on with her."

"Damon, can we just stop?"

He puts up his hands in surrender before putting them down and reaching for a bite of cake. "Fine. Fine. But whatever is sparking this change in you… Well, it's a good thing."

I look at him oddly as he hovers his fork over a selection of chocolate on chocolate cake before diving in for the bite. And then I smile. And I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because Damon isn't pushing me into explaining everything or maybe it's just because he's acknowledging a change in me and still accepting me at the same time. Whatever the reason I feel lighter because of it.

And the stiff pose I was in becomes more relaxed and natural.

He slides the fork from his mouth and I smile, noticing the bit of frosting on the top of his lip. Without thinking, I reach out and wipe it away—nearly bring my finger to my mouth to lick it away— and suddenly we both realize what I've done and freeze. I quickly wipe my hand on a nearby napkin and try to silently wish the last few moments away from existing. But when I meet Damon's eyes he seems to be in a stupor.

We're both stuck in this moment I'm trying to forget and I still can't explain why I did it. It just seemed to natural to do what I did. The Elena who used to date Damon certainly would have.

Then Damon gives a slow smile and I have to look away. Thankfully when he speaks, it's not even to me but rather the owner, Mrs. Flowers, and I'm thankful to finally be leaving. When Mrs. Flowers makes her way over, wiping her flour covered hands on her floral apron,I finally feel safe to look up again. Damon lets her know our decision and I add in my opinions and let Mrs. Flowers know once again everything Caroline wants done. She assures me she received Caroline's photos in both emails and texts with a laugh. And once she finishes jotting everything down, Damon and I say goodbye and thank her and exit the bakery.

The warm summer breeze hits both of us as we step outside. Damon slides on his sunglasses and together we make our way towards his car. He opens the door for me and as I slide in, he pauses and says, "I had fun today."

I smile up at him, blocking the sun from my eyes with my hand. "I did, too."

"Think this is the start of a beautiful friendship?"

Laughing, as I remember all the times I made him watch _Casablanca_ , I respond, "It's the start of me not wanting to kill you."

He shakes his head, smiling. "It's a start."

"It's a start," I repeat.

And for some reason we both hang there, looking at each other. I can practically feel all the words he's fighting back—whether they're about my parents or about that moment with the cake. Either way a part of me is wanting to hear it, to truly open up to him again and share all my fears with him from why I had to run away to that conversation with my advisor. But I just can't. He's not the person I should be opening up to. He's not my boyfriend. He's my ex. But still I wonder if he's thinking the same thing I am and fighting back the words just as I'm doing. I wonder if he's wishing that the day didn't have to end.

* * *

"Don't worry, brother. I can certainly handle party favors. How hard can it be?"

I can almost imagine Stefan's face after my words. The way his sigh carries over the phone paints quite the amusing picture. "Just listen to Elena and don't be a pain in the ass."

"But it's my most charming quality," I tease.

It's another gorgeous day in Mystic Falls. Every day has been since Elena breezed back into my life. We've been navigating this whole friendship thing pretty well. I've been the perfect gentleman but even I can't help staring at her. She's caught me looking a few times and I don't even have it in me to feel ashamed. I've gone years without seeing her face and having it there right in front of me makes me want to cherish every moment since her visit has a deadline.

But what gives me hope is the fact that I've caught her staring, too. Her eyes watch me and when we really get lost in a moment she reaches out and touches me with these small gestures that fucking drive me wild. Don't get me started on that moment when she wiped away frosting from my mouth and nearly brought it to her mouth. It's just another example of how she's falling back into the ease of being together and another example to add to the list of why I have to remember to take this all slow.

One wrong move and I could ruin everything.

She knows how I feel, but ever since I burst into her hotel room I haven't muttered a word of it. I have to pick my moment to breach the topic again. Elena has to be feeling everything I am. But she's living in that stupid river in Africa and pretending they don't exist. Eventually it'll all become too much. And that's when I swoop in.

I have all summer until the wedding to slowly remind her of all the reasons why we're meant to be together. No matter what her little life plan says.

And today as we make the rounds to all various shops around town and she browses ideas and I make sure they're not too cheesy, I'm going to bring up the good ole days. I have plenty of stories and we have all day together.

"Just be good, please," Stefan pleads.

I look out into the courtyard across from me and I see Elena approaching in a floral red sundress. Her hair is in soft waves that blow in the slight breeze drifting in the air. She's staring down at her phone, typing away on it, oblivious to the world around her. I shake my head, smiling. She's can be so absorbed in that thing sometimes.

"I will." I tell my brother. "She's actually here now."

Just as she's passing the gazebo I see a man race up behind her. He's in a suit like some wall street know-it-all. I'm about to bolt to her rescue but the guy places his hands over her eyes. Elena freezes and moves to push aside his hands but then she smiles, a huge smile and then bites her lip before screaming a name. She turns around and launches in to the guys arms and then they're kissing. Full on make out session right in front of me, right in the middle of town.

It's making me sick.

"Uh, Stef. I'll talk to you later."

I hear him say goodbye but I can't hear it. I've gone deaf, mute; practically blind to anything but the sight in front of me. All I can seem to focus on is the way Elena's body curves into this guys and the way her one leg seems to pop as he lifts her into the air and spins her around. Then she's laughing and it carries over to where I am. It's so filled with ease and real that I can feel my heart crack.

Maybe I've been reading more into these past few days than I should be.

The guy places her down and she pulls him back to her, hugging him, and the two of them just stand there like they're a fucking statue before finally pulling apart. Then I can tell Elena is launching into a huge speech and this boyfriend of hers is trying to keep up. He places his hand on her cheek, caressing it; and I want to fucking break every finger of his that touches her skin.

Part of me wants to run over there and remind Elena that we have plans, and another part—the glutton for punishment—wants to just stand by and watch the girl I'm in love with completely fawn over some other guy.

Thankfully, someone snaps me out of my predicament before I become pathetic.

"Sucks watching someone you love be in love with someone else, doesn't it?"

I turn my head from the disgusting sight in front of me to see Katherine standing beside me, a smirk on her face. She has several grocery bags on her arm and her gaze is turned towards her twin sister.

"You weren't in love with me, Kat. You were just mad Elena stole a potential boy toy."

She shrugs. "Still hurt the same."

I roll my eyes. Kat and I may have worked past the anger I felt at her for the part she played in my breakup with Elena but it doesn't mean it's not a sore subject. "So what brings you into the daylight? I thought vampires had to avoid the sun."

"Har-har," she chides. "Elena made me a list of things to get fixed in my place before the court appointed social worker pays a visit."

"So, you're finally fighting this thing?"

She nods and I can tell she's nervous. "Elena has a way of making you think anything's possible and God help me I actually think she can help."

"If my charms couldn't sway the judge, your sisters will power definitely can."

"She certainly did her research. Had her big shot boyfriend over there get in contact with some lawyers and worked out a plan for me."

"So that's the boyfriend," I say, trying not to let my jealousy seethe through my tone.

Katherine laughs. "Like you haven't been standing here watching them like some peeping Tom."

"Well, Elena and I had plans but it looks like she'll be cancelling them."

"Yeah, I think she will. I got a text from my parents that I have to be over there for dinner and to be on my best behavior."

My brows furrow. "How did they know? Elena looked like she had no idea."

"I guess Elijah called ahead to make sure he wouldn't be interrupting anything."

"And here he is doing just that."

Katherine nudges my shoulder with hers and pointedly looks ahead towards where the reunited couple is. "Looks like Operation Get Elena Back will just have to wait."

I follow her sight and see Elena typing on her phone as Elijah leads her into the gazebo. Looks like it _will_ have to wait. There's no way she's breaking off plans with her boyfriend to hang out with me. Sure enough, seconds later my phone vibrates in my hand. I look down and see a new message pop up from Elena and my heart drops.

 _Can't get party favors today. Something came up! Sorry!_

"Looks like it." I frown. I turn my attention to Katherine putting on my best smile. "You're not busy, are you? Care to pick out wedding favors?"

She shakes her head. "That's more my sisters speed. But I need a handyman to help me with these tasks."

She smiles and shakes the bags in her hands. It's tempting and it'll take my mind off of wondering what Elena and Elijah are up to. I send a quick text to my brother and let him know the change in plans. Elena will have to deal with Caroline. There's no way I'm getting blamed for this.

"Well, since I have nothing better to do."

"Looks like the Second Choice Club is back in session."

I take the bags from her hand and lead her towards my car. "Maybe we need to think up a secret handshake?"

Katherine laughs, linking her arm through mine. "How about we just clink beers and forget our problems instead?"

"Deal."


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

 _Damon's POV..._

* * *

The persistent knocking on my apartment door is enough to give me a headache. Whoever is on the other side is in for serious beat down for interrupting me working out my frustrations on the punching bag currently hanging in my living room. At least if I kick the ass of whoever never learned the sense of common decency maybe I can get some relief. Because honestly hitting a bag over and over just isn't getting shit done.

I swing the door open and immediately move to get in the persons face when I take note of the wild curly hair and resting bitch face standing before me. Not to mention she bears a striking resemblance to the girl I just can't seem to get over. Possibly because she's her twin.

"Katherine."

"Good. You're dressed." She doesn't even bother to elaborate as she pushes past me into my apartment. It's more vacant than usual now that Stefan's moved out and I'm still trying to figure out what my idea of home looks like but Katherine walks on in like she owns the place. Like she's been here a thousand times—which she hasn't.

She's dressed in her usual color of black on black—not that I'm complaining, half my closet is devoted to that very same shade—and she seems in a surlier mood than usual. I haven't spoken to her since I helped her fix a few things in her apartment a few days ago and this sudden drop by has me more than a little confused.

"And you're here because…" The question hangs in the air as she beelines for my decanter and pours a pretty hefty shot for herself and downs it before pouring another. It's early morning but clearly something is going on. "Don't worry about me. I'll wait till noon. Little closer to happy hour."

"God, I needed that," Katherine says, shaking out her body as the shot works its way down. She's completely ignoring my comments. "After these past few days with my parents hard liquor is just what I need."

"And hard liquor can be found at the Grille, your local liquor store… Many other options besides your boss' apartment at ten in the morning."

I make my way towards my Barcalounger and kick my feet up, accepting the fact that Katherine is here and there is reason for her visit besides my excellent spread of alcoholic beverages.

"I figured you'd be curious how this weekend went."

It takes everything in me to not to shake her for information but I remain cool, aloof—the picture of indifference. Of course I'm dying to know how the weekend went. I haven't heard from Elena or Katherine, Caroline hasn't been quiet on the whole thing and my brother could care less. Part of me is hoping Elena and her boyfriend have ended things and now I'm free to make my move but I know there's no way I'm that lucky. Especially judging by Katherine's face.

"Purge away, Kitty Kat."

She rolls her eyes at my nickname. "Well, besides the constant theme of the me being an overwhelming disappointment; there was a reason for Elijah's visit."

When she doesn't elaborate I sit up a bit in my chair. "And…"

Katherine studies me for a moment, walking along the row of decanters and towards me. "Did you ever think that Elena would have been better off if she had never met you?"

My brows furrow at the sudden change in subject. "What are you trying to say, Kat?"

"How would sweet, innocent Elena's life be if she had never crossed your path? What if the two of us had just remained friends and never drifted? What if Elena had never influenced your life or you hers?"

"She would be miserable and so would I. I wasn't happy when I was escaping my problems and she was ignorant to who was really pulling the strings in her life."

Katherine muddles on that for a second as she stands close by to me, taking a sip out of whatever concoction she's got in her glass. "Are you sure Elena wants to cut those strings?"

I nod, vehemently. "Look at how she reached out to you? How she came back home?"

"But you had nothing to do with that. Those were all decisions she made without you."

"You wouldn't understand it, Katherine." I shake my head, getting frustrated. "I don't understand what any of this has to do with what happened this weekend."

Katherine sighs. "Do you really love my sister, Damon?"

"I love, Elena," I say meaningfully. And for added measure I add on a quick, "I despise you."

She gives me a half-hearted smile as she sits on the arm of my chair. "Elijah asked my parents' permission to marry her."

 _Fuck_. I need to hit, throw, smash… _something_. I can't take this unbearable feeling building up inside me as Katherine's words hit me like a shot to the heart. It's something I wasn't expecting but probably should have. Why else would the guy call her parents ahead of time? It wasn't like Elena was staying there or he needed a place to stay. He probably set the whole thing up to make sure they would set aside time to talk. And he fucking asked for her hand.

And it probably made her parents day.

I've heard all about this Elijah guy. His family name and the weight it carries, his important job, and all the doors it can open for Elena. He's everything her parents have wanted for her future. He's the exact kind of man they would handpick for her. They would never—not in a million years—chose someone like me.

It fucking kills.

She's been having fun these past few days but has it made enough of an impact? Enough to steer her off this path her parents have been paving for her since she was born?

"When? When is he going to ask her?"

Katherine is looking down at me, studying me. I don't know what she's searching for but she must find it because finally she says, "When Elena gets back to New York. After the wedding. He's flying her home the moment it's over. On his family's private jet."

My hands dive into my hair as I bring my upper body forward. "I'm going to lose her all over again. Aren't I?"

I feel her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. "So am I."

That catches my attention. My head snaps towards her face and I can see it all there even though she's trying to hide it. She's just as scared as I am. "She's your sister. You could never lose her."

"If Elena falls back into that world—back into the role of doting, dutiful daughter, she's going to fall back into my parents' way of thinking. And we know how well that worked for us last time."

I'm shaking my head, focusing on easing Katherine's pain than my own. I'm deflecting. Something Elena has been accusing me of my entire life. Or at least since she's known me. "Elena knows the truth now. She's not going to turn her back on you."

Katherine frowns, dropping her hand from my shoulder and resting it on her knee. "She just seemed so fake at that dinner. Like she was putting on a show for everyone about how perfect her life is. I'm just not buying it. If she really knows how our parents are why is she still trying so hard to please them?"

I shrug knowing I can't really understand Elena's actions. I know enough about her to know something is going on but I can't quite put my finger on what. It's not like she's going to open up to me. Not when she has Caroline. Or Elijah.

"She's been trying to live up to your parents' expectations her whole life. It's a hard habit to break."

Katherine looks towards me meaningfully. "Well, we have to get her to break it. You can't give up on her, Damon. You have to get her to choose her own life. If she wants to be with Elijah and become a doctor then fine. But if she wants a life of her own, a messy complicated one that she'll have to stumble her way through then she deserves that."

"I don't know what you want me to do, Kat."

She slides her way on to my lap, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. I stare at her confused not truly understanding where this is coming from when she finally starts talking. "I know you love her. I know even after all these years you haven't given up on her. And I know that all these little wedding planning dates are your way of trying to make her see you belong together. But," and she dances her fingers along my collarbone, "it's not working fast enough. You have to up your game. Really make her see what she's missing."

"And is all this caressing your way of showing me how?" I question.

Katherine stares at me with those smoky dark, sultry eyes of hers and when she speaks it's husky and low. "This is doing absolutely nothing for you, is it?"

I stare at her for a moment. She has Elena's face but where Katherine is dark and sultry and mysterious, Elena is light and fun and everything I could ever want. There was never any confusion for me between them. Katherine isn't a replacement for Elena. She never could be. I'm not the stupid confused boy I used to be.

"Not a thing."

Katherine slowly smiles and hops off my lap. "Good. No repeats of last time. You're getting Elena back and we're not going to screw this up."

I stand up with her, completely baffled. "You're going to help me?"

"Yes, I'm going to help you. And here's what you're going to do."

* * *

"Damon, I can't believe you did this!"

I watch as my best friend launches towards Damon, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tight. He looks completely taken aback—still not used to her displays of affection—but he welcomes it just the same. And I have to admit I kind of enjoy seeing Damon Salvatore look uncomfortable.

It's entertaining.

When Caroline releases him, he shrugs. "Early Morning Vineyards is one of our suppliers. They were more than happy to set this up for me. You guys deserve a day to just relax."

Caroline saunters over towards Stefan and gives him a kiss, snuggling into his side. "It's just beautiful here. If we didn't already agree to Lockwood Mansion I would switch up the venue in a heartbeat."

"I don't know, Care," I say, teasing. "It's quite the trek."

She sighs. "True. But, God, it's gorgeous."

And she's right. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains this vineyard is absolutely spectacular. It's wide and open and I have never seen so much green in my entire life. The place is cozy and elegant and they're keeping our glasses full as we get a special tour of the place. We're even spending the night here so we can all enjoy ourselves and I just can't wait to see the sun setting over the vineyard or the peaceful quiet that will settle over the place when night falls and candlelight takes over.

"It is."

From the tasting room to the terrace to trails, I have had my breath taken away. It doesn't help that I have a nice buzz going on and I just feel happy. And as I sneak a peek at Damon in his khakis and navy jacket, looking anything but the bad boy I used to know I know it's not a good idea to have my inhibitions this low when he's looking that good.

I see him catch my eye and give me a wink as he sips on his own glass, his eyes sliding down my purple wraparound dress and along my legs to my strappy heels. I haven't seen him since our little cake tasting adventure and I felt terrible for bailing on him but what else was I supposed to do when Elijah showed up? I couldn't let him meet Damon or know that I've been spending all this time with him. He would know in a heartbeat what was going on and I would have to explain all the confusion going on in my head.

Yeah, I need another drink.

I reach for my glass and take a huge gulp as we make our way back to the terrace with its stone floor and wicker chairs. I lose myself to my thoughts as our guide motions around the property where tons of wild flowers surround us and try to get my head on straight. Elijah being here just screwed me up even more. I found myself falling back into old habits and forgetting the huge fight I was in with my parents and gushing about life in New York and plans for the future. A future I'm not even sure I'm going to have.

 _What am I going to do?_

As I take a seat with my friends and we get served dinner, I lose myself in the conversation. I add in where I can but I mostly let Stefan and Caroline and even Damon just continue to chat on without me. By dessert were all thoroughly drunk and I'm feeling a lot more forthcoming than I have been since we've been out here.

"Well we're going to head to bed," Caroline says, grabbing hold of Stefan and rising from the table. I can tell she's using him to steady herself but even I notice that Stefan is a little wobbly himself. "Thank you again, Damon."

"My pleasure," he states, smiling.

They make their way around the table and Stefan says, "We'll see you guys in the morning."

"Goodnight," I say, blowing them a kiss. I take notice of the twinkling lights wrapped around the wooden beams surrounding the terrace as Caroline and Stefan make their way inside to head towards the guest cottage. "Wow, look at how pretty those lights are! When did those get there?."

"You feeling good there, Gilbert?"

My head snaps towards Damon who's looking at me with a smirk. "You're here?"

"Never left."

I nod and the whole place starts spinning. To stop it all I put my hand over my eyes as I ask, "Are you tired?"

"Not quite. But you're drunk. Maybe we should get you to bed."

I giggle. "Oh, you would love that."

"I'll be a gentleman. Promise." He even has his one hand up like a boy scout.

I shake my head again and the spinning resumes. I have got to stop doing that. Pouting, I say, "My head hurts."

"Well drinking your weight in wine will do that to a person."

Narrowing my eyes at him, I reply, "Rude."

"Honest," he counters.

Damon waves the waiter over and signs a few things before standing and holding out his hand. I warily take it and he helps me to stand but I shake a bit as I stand. Thankfully, he places a firm arm around my waist and together we make our way out of the restaurant and towards our respective rooms.

Being this close to him it makes it hard to think about anything but him. From the strong cut of his jaw, the slight stubble along it, the fresh smell of him, all of it is completely taking over my senses. I feel safe as he helps me navigate my way around this huge place. My one arm is wrapped around his neck and I find my hand weaving its way into his hair, wrapping around his hair and tugging a bit. Its messy today yet styled and gelled and I can't stop touching it.

"Elena…" he warns.

"How can your hair be so soft?" I slur.

"Conditioner."

He laughs, guiding us down one final hallway until we're at our doors. His room is right next to mine and he reaches into my clutch I had forgotten all about and slides my room key out and puts it into the lock. I cling to him as he pushes open the door and steps inside before he kicks it shut, walking us both towards the bed. He eases me on to the queen size bedding and I instantly collapse on it, staring up at the ceiling and getting lost in the blades of the fan spinning above my head.

I feel Damon's hands on my ankle, slipping my shoes off of my feet and then he's reaching for my hands, pulling me into a sitting position and staring at my face. I stick my tongue out at him and it causes him to smile. "You're drunk."

"Why thank you, Captain Obvious."

He shakes his head. "You going to be okay?"

"This isn't my first time."

Taking a moment, he studies me before nodding his head and saying, "It's late. I better go. I'll be right next door if you need me."

I watch him make his way towards the door and something tugs at my heart. I don't want him to go. I want him to stay and talk to me. And apparently I have no filter because the thought leaves my mouth in the form of two words. "Don't. Stay."

He pauses with his hand on the door and slowly turns towards me. "What?"

"Stay," I stress, almost comically.

Damon hesitates and then locks the deadbolt and makes his way to the other side of the bed. I turn off the light on my side of the bed and situate myself under the covers, turning my body towards him and watch him kick his shoes off and remove his jacket and tie, folding them gently on a nearby chair. I'm mesmerized as his fingers swiftly unbutton the first few buttons of his dress shirt and then he slides into bed beside me—on top of the covers.

We're both still in our dress clothes but I don't have it in me to change and it's not like he has a change of clothes in my room. I don't even have it in me to care. It's better than sleeping in our underwear. With the amount of wine I had and how I handled just touching his hair that wouldn't be a good idea at all.

"Thank you," I say, as the room goes dark. "I know I'm a mess."

"No, you're not."

I shove his shoulder. "A little bit."

He shakes his head in the darkness. "Shut up."

It goes quiet and I can't seem to shut up my mind. My thoughts are spinning around, driving me crazy, making it impossible to sleep despite how tired I am. The alcohol swimming in my system is making my lids droop but it's also making me think of everything that I shouldn't be thinking about. Like Damon's role in my life, the memory of the last time we were in a bed together, Dr. Laughlin's speech, Katherine, my parents. Before I know it the overwhelming emotions of it all have tears streaming down my face.

"Elena?" Damon says, turning towards me. "Elena, what's wrong?"

I'm not sure what makes me say it but before I can stop myself the words are tumbling free on their own accord. The one thing that has me worried the most. "My advisor says I don't have what it takes to be a doctor."

"W-What?" he says, sitting up a bit and flicking on the small light on his side of the bed. "What are you talking about?"

"Before I came home my advisor said I have the brains to be a doctor but not the heart. Can you believe it? All those years of studying and I just don't have the passion for it. Me?"

I wipe away at the tears still falling down my cheeks as I sit up in the bed. I'm not sure if it's the alcohol or just the weight of this secret hanging over me but for some reason I feel the need to unload it all tonight. And Damon just happens to be here to bear the weight of it.

His brows furrow as he stares at me. "Do you want to be a doctor?"

Hesitating, I chew on my lip. Finally I say, "Yes?"

"Is that a question?"

I cover my face with my hands. "I'm so confused. This is what I've been working towards my entire life. How can I not have the passion for it?"

"Is this what you want for yourself or your parents?"

My head falls back against the headboard as I stare ahead of me. "I don't know anymore. It's like suddenly everything about my life is being turned upside down."

"Well, I think you better figure that out. It's your life, Elena. You have to live it for yourself and no one else."

I start choking back tears and I feel Damon hesitantly pull my body toward his. Without questioning it, I let myself fall into his chest as he holds me. I let out all of my tears and frustrations and Damon just continues to squeeze me to him and tell me over and over that everything will be alright and that he's here for me. The entire time all I can think about is how I've just unloaded everything on Damon yet I couldn't even mention a word of it to Elijah the entire time he was here.

Why? Why couldn't I talk to my boyfriend?

"My parents just couldn't handle it when I told them," I get out. "They were so upset."

Damon squeezes my arm. "Don't worry about them, Elena. You have to be able to handle it. It's your life. You have to live with the choices. If you want to be a doctor than great; be a doctor. You'll figure out the passion bit. But if you don't you'll figure that out too."

"But how can I do that to my parents? How can I hurt them like that?"

He eases his hold on me and lifts my chin to look at him with his finger. I stare into those blue eyes of his as he speaks to me. "What's worse, Elena? Living a life that you didn't choose or hurting your parents for a few moments? You have to get out from under them. Find a way to be okay with being yourself. Because, Elena, you're a pretty fucking amazing girl."

I give him a smile and watch as the tension in his face eases a bit. Damon reaches forward and wipes away my tears. There's a moment when his finger lingers on the apple of my cheek before sliding down along to my bottom lip where I feel something stirring inside of me. It's a feeling I haven't felt in a long time and it had my eyes dropping to his mouth that is only a few inches away from mine.

"Damon…." I start to say, but I just can't finish the sentence. I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm confused, upset, drunk. My mind has taken a backseat to this night and is just enjoying the show as it lets me be ruled by other things. My heart being the most important. My desire for him being a close second.

And I'd be foolish to say that my heart and body wasn't craving on lessening the space between my mouth and his.

But I just can't. I'm too vulnerable right now and I have to cling to that part of myself that is screaming my boyfriend's name. Damon may be here, bringing up old feelings and reminding me of all the times he was my shoulder to cry on, but he's not my boyfriend. He's not Elijah.

I see his eyes flick to my mouth before he takes a shuddering breath. "I think we should go to sleep."

My eyes widen at the disappointment I feel—wasn't I just thinking that we should put a stop to this?—but I simply nod and slide out of his embrace, laying back down with my back to him. I feel Damon's eyes on me before I hear his sigh and then the room goes black and I feel him lay down beside me. Soon enough I let my fears and confusion fade away into sleep and succumb to my dreams.

But when I wake up the next morning, Damon and I are no longer with our backs to each other but rather face to face with our hands intertwined between our pillows.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

Damon is still sound asleep when I make my way out of the hotel room. I don't miss the way he's smiling in his sleep, clutching a pillow as I quietly close the door and leave him. My head is still throbbing from the night before and in an effort not to wake him or make my own headache worse, I chose not to use the blow dryer and instead chose to leave my hair to its devices. It's falling in waves and is still damp as I turn around and collapse against the door in the vacant hallway.

I don't know how last night happened; whether to blame the alcohol or my own mind. It has me all kinds of confused and I don't even want to imagine the awkwardness it will bring when Damon does wake up and joins us for breakfast before he drives us all back home. With one last calming breath to remind myself to relax, I push myself off the door and gather up my courage to put on a brave face and forget what happen last night. Cause if I let myself think about it than Caroline will be able to read it right off my face.

And I don't need her trying to figure out my feelings when I'm not sure of them myself.

So, instead of facing it I make my way over to the same terrace we were on last night and spy Caroline and Stefan cuddled in a corner table overlooking the vineyard. I tap on Caroline's shoulder before I sit down and she beams at me as I smooth out my dress and take a seat at the bench across from them and look out at the sky with them.

"So how was your night?" she asks.

Momentarily panic sets in; as if Caroline can read everything that happened clearly on my face. But it settles when I notice she's staring at Stefan completely lost in her own bubble to notice the turmoil going on in mine. "It's was good. Slept better than I have in weeks."

And it's the truth. Something about unloading my fears on Damon and him sharing my bed put me at ease. For the first night I wasn't plagued by nightmares and restless sleep. It was only when I did wake up and see Damon in my bed, his face inches from my mine, his hand grasping my own that reality hit me hard. This is the very thing I was afraid of. The very thing I warned Elijah could happen. I was falling back into the ease of being with Damon.

And that just couldn't happen.

As cups of coffee and a breakfast assortment of fresh fruit are brought to the table, I notice Damon approaching the table. He's dressed in faded jeans and burgundy tee paired with a leather jacket and his eyes intent on mine. His preppy-dressed-up look from earlier is gone, replaced with the everyday look of the bad boy I once knew. When our eyes finally meet, my own snap back to my plate and I take a sip of my coffee.

"Mornin'," Damon says and I notice a skip to his step before he slides into the seat beside mine. As if on habit, his arm rests on the back of my chair and I find myself inching away from him. I don't know what could possibly be going on in his head right now. We're not together. I didn't make some grand confession of my feelings for him. We just talked and fell asleep. Yet here he is making it all into something more.

And letting Caroline in on it all.

She looks at both of us oddly before saying, "Did something happen last night?"

Damon moves to speak, but I cut him off with a quick: "Nope. Nothing."

It doesn't look like she believes me and I can feel Damon's eyes on mine as he removes his arm from the back of my chair, but thankfully neither of them say a word. We sit there in uncomfortable silence amidst this beautiful place and the quiet conversations going around us until finally it breaks.

Stefan becomes my saving grace because he quietly finishes up his meal and says, "Ready to head home?"

I wipe my mouth with my cloth and gather my things as everyone else does the same. This ride home is going to be awkward enough and I just want it over with. As we're making our way off the terrace and towards where valet has already brought Damon's Camaro and the bellhop has brought over our bags, I feel Damon reach for my arm and pull me towards him.

My eyes quickly look towards Caroline and Stefan who are helping organize the bags and seem oblivious to Damon and myself. Still, I whisper harshly, "Damon, what are you doing? Let go of me."

"You want to forget it happened, fine. But I can't!"

I pull my arm free and take a step back. "Nothing happened, Damon."

And it's true. Nothing happened. We didn't kiss. We didn't talk about our relationship. Nothing crossed any kind of boundary that I should feel guilty about betraying Elijah about.

 _No_ … I just confessed my biggest fear to my ex-boyfriend and asked him to stay in my bed.

 _Ugh. My life is a mess._

Damon's furious as he stares at me. "Why did you ask me to stay?"

I balk at him. "What?"

He enunciates each word with cruelty as he repeats his question back at me. "Why did you ask me to stay, _Elena_?"

"I was drunk," I stutter. "I had a lot on my mind."

"You're a liar," he spits out. And I can feel the hatred and anger rolling off of him. That skip in his step earlier and that smile I saw as I left my room is long gone. He's hurt and confused and frustrated at me and it's all coming out. "There's something going on between us and you know it. And you're lying to me. And you're lying to Elijah. And most of all you're lying to yourself."

"Nothing happened, Damon." And when I say this I meet his eyes with conviction I know I don't have. Because he's right. It's all a lie. Something did happen. I asked him to stay. I opened up to him. I would've kissed him if he hadn't stopped me.

He stares at me in disbelief before he straightens up and starts to walk past me. As he retreats, he says, "Keep telling yourself that."

And then he makes his way towards his car and slides in and I cautiously make my way after him. With Caroline and Stefan blissfully unaware in the backseat, I sit beside him, my eyes intent out the window as we leave Early Morning Vineyards behind.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

I give a small smile to my sister as we sit in the backyard of her new condo. It's surrounded by trees and foliage and yet the afternoon sunlight peeks through finding its way despite all the obstacles. Thanks to Elijah, Katherine has been able to put the money she's been putting towards lawyer fees towards a new place for her and Nadia to live. It's a two-bedroom, two-bath modest condo in a better part of town near a park and a day care.

It's all a much better living arrangement to help push Katherine's argument that she deserves to have custody of her daughter. And even with everything happening so fast, Katherine has been rolling with all of it and doing everything that Elijah and I have asked of her. Not that I ever doubted she couldn't. She just needed someone to push her in the right direction.

Hesitantly, I squeeze her hand. "It's going to work. Child Services is going to visit and see how much your quality of living has improved and Elijah promised this lawyer is the best in Family Law. He read over your file and Klaus' argument and he's got a game plan all figured out. This is all of his recommendations."

"But how am I going to afford all of this?"

She falls back against the Adirondack chair with her hands covering her face. "Don't worry about the lawyer. He's doing it as a favor for Elijah. And this is within what you can afford, Katherine. We went over your expenses and I told you how to allocate your funds. Everything is going to be fine."

Katherine sighs, moving her hands to her lap as she looks at me. "I just can't believe I own this."

I smile at her. "It's yours and it's a home you can be proud of, where you feel safe."

"Where Nadia is safe," she adds.

"Exactly."

I just wish my parents would see all of this. See how far Katherine has been able to come with just a little support from her family. When I tried to explain everything to them they just wouldn't hear it. They refused to acknowledge Katherine or the granddaughter they now have and when I got on them about how they could've easily helped her the way I've been we got in another one of our fights. Something that has been happening more and more lately as I pull away from them and rebuild the shaky relationship I have with my sister.

The separation from my parents hold and the fact that I am standing on my own two feet has taught me more about myself than I ever could've learned being the dutiful daughter everyone always claimed me to be. I thought being in New York and building a life there was me discovering myself but it has taken returning home and my eyes becoming open to everything I hid from to make that happen. It took letting myself open up to Katherine and forgive her, to challenge my parents when I knew they were wrong to finally figure out what I want out of life.

Despite not wanting to fully understand what happen in that hotel room with Damon; his words have struck a chord with me. I've been constantly trying to figure out what I want instead of relying on the path laid out for me. Is medicine really what I want to be doing? Or do I have some other career that I'll be passionate about? And that thought and my defensiveness for my sister hasn't exactly sat well with Mom and Dad.

I feel Katherine reach out to me and my eyes slowly slide towards hers and I find her face full of apprehension and close to tears. "I really can't thank you enough for all you've done for me, Elena."

Now fighting back my own tears, I reply, "It's what sisters do."

Katherine frowns. "I haven't exactly been sister of the year."

"Neither have I," I say, giving her an encouraging smile. It's true. We've both had our faults from how things turned out. "I should've realized what was going on."

But Katherine shakes her head. "You couldn't have known. You just wanted what every kid wants: to please their parents. And you were everything they wanted in a daughter and I was jealous of that. So, instead of just taking it out on them, I blamed you, too."

"We were kids, Kat. And I played a part in it, too. I should've reached out and known they were making you feel like that. We're twins. Where was that connection we're supposed to have?"

I can see a tear rolling down her cheek as she quietly says, "I've been jealous of you my whole life. You were Daddy's little girl—following in his footsteps, becoming the doctor he always wanted to be—and everyone loved you and I guess I just fell by the wayside. And it caused me to do some horrible, horrible things to you. And I'm so sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry."

Standing from my chair, I kneel in front of her and give her the first hug we've shared since we were little. I feel her collapse in my arms, fulling crying and clinging to me like I'm the only thing holding her together. My own tears are sliding freely down my face as my sister and I share our first emotional connection ever.

"I'm sorry, Kat. I'm so sorry."

We embrace like that for a long time, just trying to keep each other together. It feels amazing to have something good come from this trip despite everything else in my life falling apart. I may not know what I'm doing with my future or how I feel about what happened with Damon or even what to do with my parents, but I've managed to finally bridge the gap with my sister. And I'm thankful for that.

When she finally pulls back, she places her hands on my shoulders and stares into my eyes. Before she even speaks, I feel the weight of what she's about to say and the meaning behind it. "I know we have a lot of time to make up for and we'll never have the kind of relationship we should, but I want to try, Elena. I want to be the sisters we always should've been."

I cradle her face in my hands and meaningfully say back, "I want to try, too."

And amidst our tears, we smile. Smiles full of hope for the future and what it will bring. We still have a lot more to conquer in our relationship but we're finally taking the steps to mend it. We won't get back the years we lost but we can make sure we don't lose any of the future.

* * *

I pull up to Giuseppe Salvatore's massive home and sit in the driveway for a moment to gather my thoughts. I already spy the Camaro and Stefan's Porsche and I know I'm running late but I still need these few moments to ready myself to see Damon. We haven't seen or spoken to each other since we left the vineyard. I've been doing most of the wedding planning either with Caroline or by myself and I know Damon has been getting things ready with his brother. Tonight is not going to be easy but with this place being Wedding Central and Caroline calling together a meeting, I don't really have a choice. I just have to do this.

With an expel of breath, I exit the car with my arms full of different colored balloons and place cards and markers and all kinds of wedding prep. I have half of the mall shoved into boxes and bags but it's everything Caroline needed for tonight to make some final decisions and get started on party favors and some final details.

When I reach the front door I hit the doorbell with my elbow and try to rest most of the weight of what's in my arms against the brick entryway. The door swings open and because that's just my luck it's Damon who answers the door.

"Here let me get that," he says as he takes some of the bags from my arms and leaves me with just two boxes and the balloons.

Awkwardly, I follow him inside, kicking the door shut. "Thanks."

As we make our way to the formal dining room, I see papers and poster board everywhere with center pieces and place settings all over the large oak table. Stefan and Caroline are standing with their backs to us as we walk in, looking over what appears to be their seating chart and moving various pins around the corkboard. At the sound of Damon and I placing the stuff I brought on the table, they turn around and I see Caroline give me a relieved smile as her shoulders sag.

"Oh, finally! You're here!"

I smile, walking towards them both to hug them. "Wedding stress finally getting to you?"

"I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to move right as I was planning a wedding."

Stefan kisses her cheek just as I step back. "That's why we moved everything here."

"I know," she sighs. "It's just so overwhelming and I have half a mind to just let people sit where they want. Why do I have to decide who sits where?"

Grabbing the pins from her hand, I approach the board. "Just tell me who can't sit next to who and I'll handle it."

"You're a godsend, Elena."

She gives me a little hug as I say, "What are MOH's for?"

Caroline gives me the do's and don'ts of the seating chart and leaves me to it while she goes over the things I brought and gets to work on letting the boys handle bagging the party favors: some limoncello home-made from the bar with a little thank you note. Each note has to be attacked individually so Damon and Stefan certainly have their work cut out for them. Caroline gets started on writing out their Love Story board with chalk as well as piecing together the guest book.

It isn't long before I've worked out the seating chart with Caroline and Stefan's approval and get started writing out the place cards. There's light conversation but mostly we're all focused on what we're working on and listening to the wedding playlist Caroline has playing from her iPod with song samples she plans on giving the DJ.

Every once in a while I catch myself sneaking a look at Damon but he seems too absorbed in what he's doing to notice. Then a familiar song plays and this time his eyes flick up towards mine and I can tell he's thinking the same thing I am. Thinking about the moment we first danced and how this song played in the background.

"Ah!" Caroline squeals, dancing in her chair. "I love Ed Sheeran."

At the sound of my best friends voice, the moment is broken and we break contact, returning to our work. In the background, Caroline and Stefan are debating over what song will be their first dance—the song that played when they first met or the one that most relates to them. But my head is swirling. I can feel the distance between me and Damon and it's like I'm reliving that drive away from Mystic Falls all over again when I had to put him out of my mind and figure out my life without him.

"Elena, do you have the photos for the table markers?" I hear Stefan ask as he starts riffling through some of the things I brought.

I stand up and start searching through the bags—not finding any sign of them. "They must be in the car. Be right back."

Quickly, I hop out of my seat and make my way through to the front door. I hurry to my car and check the backseat and spy a folder full of the table markers that I had printed with each table number having an accompanying photo of Stefan and Caroline at that age. With them safely in my hand, I lock my car and make my way back inside. On the way in a nearly trip over Damon and he has to grab hold of me to stop my from falling.

"Sorry. Thanks," I mutter all flailing limbs and awkwardness. I hate this place we seem to be in. It's almost better than that anxious place we were in when I hadn't seen him in years. Now there is just this anger rolling off of him and me unsure of where I stand. And it sucks because it seemed like we were reaching a nice place there for a little while—a place between exes and friends. Now I don't know what we are.

He firmly places me away from him and states, "Just watch where you're going."

I don't know if it's because of this change I feel inside of me or because I just can't take his harshness towards me anymore but I simply lose it. "What is your problem?"

Damon's eyes widen, his eyebrows nearly jumping to his hairline. "What's _my_ problem? Are you serious?"

"Yes," I say, arms folding over my chest.

He shakes his head. "I'm not getting into this with you now, Elena."

Without another word, he makes his way towards the library and for some reason I place the folder down and follow him, my hard steps echoing in the otherwise quiet house. We're far enough from the kitchen that Caroline and Stefan can't hear us but then again I don't quite know just how loud this is going to get.

"We're getting into this now, Damon. I don't get what your problem is."

His hands are resting on the back of the leather couch in the center of the library. I can see the tension in his shoulder and jaw. "You. You're my problem."

"Just because I said nothing happened at the hotel? Damon, nothing happened. I was drunk. I had some things I needed to get off my chest and you were there. No big deal."

Damon turns towards me and I see the fire in his eyes, the frustration as he gestures. "So you would've just bared your soul to anyone? Any unlucky guy to stumble into your room? Would you have invited them into your bed, too?"

"Stop it, Damon," I say, backing up against the shelf behind me.

"No! Because you're full of shit, Elena. You opened up because it was me. Because you trust me. Because once upon a time I was the person you told everything to."

"Yeah, and then you almost kissed my sister!"

I don't know where the words come from but they spit from my mouth with all the raging fire burning up inside of me. I'm so angry and it's suddenly like I'm back at Mason Lockwoods house witnessing my sister and Damon about to kiss. It's like no time has passed and in a way it hasn't. Because I never faced it. I just held on to the anger and let it reach a fever pitch until it could finally all spill out.

And it seems like that moment is going to be now.

He studies me for a moment. "Finally!"

I step towards him. "What? You want to finally have this conversation? You want me to blame you? Easy. Done. You screwed up, Damon!"

"Thank you!" he yells.

"You ruined us, Damon. All I wanted was for you to open up to me and you couldn't! You ran to my sister!"

"I know!"

I can feel the hot tears brimming along my lids, fighting to crash over but I stop them by using my anger to keep them at bay. We haven't talked about this since I left him on Mason's porch and I haven't faced it since that moment. Even when he showed up at my hotel that first time I saw him we brushed over the issue. Neither one of us wanted to have this argument.

And yet we're having it now.

My hands run through my hair as I stare at him. "You broke us, Damon!"

Part of me—a small part—knows I should've be talking about this. I'm in a committed relationship with someone else. Someone who loves me and hasn't hurt me the way Damon has. Yet that small part of me also realizes in this moment that I haven't felt as much passion in that relationship as I am right now in this moment.

"I know," he says more quietly, more somber. It's enough to make me have to turn away from the pain in his eyes. "I ran to Katherine and you just ran away. You're always running away."

I quickly turn back towards him. "Because you sent me away."

"Because you wouldn't have understood, Elena! I was so messed up back then. I didn't live up to my father's expectations and now in comes this new son who is smart and successful and everything I wasn't. Don't you get it? I was the Katherine to Stefan's Elena. She was the only one who could understand."

"So you thought she could be my stand-in? That you could have with her the moment you should've had with me?"

He turns back towards the couch, leaning over it and I see his hands white knuckle the leather. "I didn't think."

"And that's the problem," I say, backing away from him when in reality all I want is to reach for him. "You never think."

He sighs. "This has to end. I can't keep doing this to myself. I have to move on."

And those words halt me in my tracks. I can't even speak. The idea of Damon being with someone else absolutely shatters me. I can't handle the thought. And what kind of hypocrite does that make me? I'm with someone else. Committed to someone else. And yet the idea of Damon moving on has me feeling betrayed.

"We'll get through this wedding together and then it's over, Elena. You won't have to worry about me anymore. You can go and be happy with Elijah in New York."

He pushes himself off the couch as he says this and breezes past me, leaving me with only his words to keep me company. And that's when I finally break.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

"I can't believe the planning is almost done!" Caroline squeals. I watch amused as she falls back against the couch, throwing her hands up in the air in celebration. Her eyes snap over towards mine as I giggle and she gives me a little warning glare. "Don't mock me, Elena. Watch what happens when you plan your wedding."

Shaking my head, I settle deeper into the love seat in her living room and say, "I would never give myself such a short deadline, Care. Plus, I just want something small and intimate. Like a Justice of the Peace sort of thing."

She studies me for a moment. "Are you sure your parents will be okay with that? They always talked about the big wedding for you and all the people they could invite. And Elijah with his big family and old money? Boy, are you in trouble."

Frowning, I move my legs to rest underneath me. "I'm not sure that what my parents want is the best thing for me anymore. Or if Elijah is my choice or an extension of my parents."

Caroline brings her upper body over the arm rest and reaches for my arm. "Is everything okay?"

My head falls back against the cushion. Where do I even begin? I used to always think my parents had my best interest in mind so I was a willing participant in following along with their path and guidance. But now I'm just not so sure. This thing with Katherine coming to light and the lack of drive I now feel at continuing medicine has me questioning everything.

Did they really want what was best for me? Or am I just their way of fulfilling the dreams they never could?

I just keep finding it difficult to figure out my own thoughts, dreams, and wants. Which parts of myself are my own or just created by the need to please my parents?

"Elena?" Caroline asks, squeezing my arm after I still haven't responded to her question. "What's wrong?"

I sigh. "How did you handle knowing that your Dad was wrong? We grow up thinking our parents know the best for us but when we find out they don't…"

"It screws us up inside?" Caroline finishes. "It wasn't easy. I lived in denial about it for a long time. But it finally became too much to hide from. He was wrong and he was putting my mom and me in danger just because he couldn't face who he really was."

"But you eventually were able to make-up. He wasn't out of your life for good."

My worst fear is that my parents and I will create a rift too big for me to come back from just because I'm challenging them. Just because I'm questioning what they want for me.

She eases back on to the couch. "It took a long time for me to be able to forgive him, Elena. But none of this is explaining what's going on with you."

I remain quiet for a moment gathering my thoughts. Then I finally voice everything I've been keeping inside—what I've only opened up to Damon. "I never realized how cruel my parents have been to Katherine. When my parents showed that side to me, it opened my eyes to how they really are. They won't even accept their granddaughter and Katherine was only allowed back in the house when Elijah visited because he knew I had a twin sister and it would've 'looked weird' if she wasn't there."

"So, you're worried about standing up to them?" Caroline asks, trying to piece everything together.

"I've been standing up to them. We've been fighting ever since that brunch with you and your mom. And Katherine isn't the only thing we're arguing about."

"What else is there?"

My best friend gives me her most open face, letting me know that I can honestly tell her anything and she won't judge me. It's why keeping this from her has been killing me. I should've known I could always tell Caroline. It's just I wasn't quite ready to face it myself. "I'm not sure I want to become a doctor. At least not yet."

"What?" Caroline says and I can see the shock and confusion written all over her face.

"My advisor met with me before I came here and told me that she didn't get a sense of passion about medicine from me. I knew all the material but I just didn't have the drive for it. So, I've been trying to figure out why the whole time I've been home."

Caroline's head tilts. "So, if it's not medicine…"

I shrug, my voice cracking against the emotion welling up inside of me. "I don't know."

My best friend stands up and makes her way to the love seat I'm sitting on and takes up a spot beside me and wraps her arms around me. I cling to her, fighting against the tears. I've been crying too much these past few days already. "It's okay to not know, Elena. It's okay to not have a plan. I didn't and yet somehow life worked its way out."

"I'm so sorry, Caroline," I say, meeting her eyes.

She looks at me confused. "For what?"

"This visit was supposed to be all about you and instead it's become about me facing everything I've ran away from."

Caroline shakes her head. "Elena, you're my best friend. We have most of this wedding all done. All I ever wanted was for you to be here."

And since I can't get out the words through my now falling tears, I hug my best friend tight. We stay locked like that for a long time, her comforting me and giving me the strength I need to figure everything out. When we were growing up I always thought I was the strong one, keeping Caroline together but it seems my friend has had this unrelenting strength within her all along. I was just there to hold her hand through all of it.

I take a deep breath as I slide out of her embrace and then the two of us just look at each other and release an awkward laugh to shake out the tension. "Thank you, Care."

"Anytime," she smiles, moving forward to bring her wedding planning binder to her lap. She flips through the pages to reach her checklist and I take note of everything we've managed to accomplish in the short amount of time I've been here. Not even just with the wedding but with my life as well. After a beat, she says, "Do you want to talk about Elijah?"'

I shake my head. "I'm too confused to even go there right now."

With everything Damon said last night still swirling around in my head, I can't even factor in what that means for Elijah and me. I thought he was everything I wanted yet since I've been here all I can focus on is what's missing. I haven't felt in the entire time I've been with Elijah what I shared with Damon in that hotel room and later on at his family home. And I can't even think of Damon with someone else. Not when the memory of him challenging my entire life is still fresh in my mind. Not when I know he's still in love with me.

And that I might still be in love with him.

Caroline taps her hand against my knee before returning it to her binder and I snap out of the thought as soon as it slid its way in. I can't be thinking like that. Can I?

"Just know that I'm here for you, Elena. And that what's meant to be will find its way."

My eyes slide down to the final few things: securing the DJ, picking the first dance, final touches, rehearsal dinner at the Grille, honeymoon shopping. "Anything left you need me to handle?" I ask, needing to get off this topic. I'm grateful for the stress from earlier to be off my shoulder now that I have confided in my best friend but now I have Damon on my mind and it's not something I can handle right now.

"Well," she says, chewing her lip, "would you mind visiting the DJ at a local gig? We want to hear a test run to make sure we made the right choice. You would just sneak a little video and send it to me since I have some other things I have to focus on."

I smile at her, knocking our shoulders together. "Of course I'll check the DJ out. Where am I headed?"

"It's a bit far. I know you don't have a car…" She shakes her head. "I'll just have Damon do it."

Shaking my head, I ease her mind. "I'm capable to getting a taxi. I'm from the city, ya know."

Caroline laughs. Teasingly, she says, " _Please_! Doesn't Elijah have his limo driver pick you up? He wouldn't dare have his girl traveling by taxi."

I pinch her side and she jumps. "I've hailed my fair share of cabs, Caroline Forbes."

"Alright, alright," she relents, writing something in her binder. "Just let me know if there's a problem."

"Like the band completely sucks and we have to get our middle school band back together so you have decent music?"

"You call _The Mystics_ decent?"

Caroline erupts into laughter and we both lose ourselves in reliving our Middle School glory days when we stupidly thought we were talented enough to start up a band. And I'm grateful. Grateful that despite all the emotional roller coasters I've been through this entire trip, my relationship with my best friend has only gotten stronger.

* * *

The club is packed with people and finding a spot to sit with my drink is a miracle on its own, yet somehow I've managed to find one—and empty table with two stools—a definite unicorn in this place. I slide into the seat and turn myself towards the band, sliding open the camera on my phone and recording the DJ in action to send to Caroline. I have to admit he's talented. He transitions at just the right moment and engages enough with the crowd to keep them involved while still letting them have their own fun.

Once I send the video to her, I tell her I'm only going to hang out for a little bit longer before I head home. When Caroline said local, she hadn't exactly be honest. This place is about an hour away and since I came all the way here, I might as well enjoy myself for a bit. When her response comes in with a huge thank you and a blowing kiss emoji, I notice I have a low battery and decide to just set my phone back in my purse and turn my attention back to the DJ and the crowd before him having the time of their lives.

My eyes slide over the various couples huddled together in the crowd; the new ones just discovering something between them for the first time and the ones who seem to have known each other for years with the way they caress each other with ease. I wonder if any of them have found themselves in the position I'm in. Trying to figure out what I'm feeling and if the person I'm with is really the love of my life or if that person for me exists in someone from my past.

It's as my eyes scan the room that I notice a familiar figure making his way through the crowd, his eyes searching the room. I try to hide among the crowd and nurse my drink. I have no idea what he's doing here tonight.

But then just like we're drawn to each other, our eyes find one another and lock gazes. He seems exasperated when he notices me and I'm not sure why but I give him a nervous smile and wave. At that, he sighs and walks towards me, maneuvering his way through the crowd, oblivious to the handful of eyes that follow him. He's always had that ability to own a room.

When he reaches me, I only have one thing to say to him. "What are you doing here, Damon?"

He takes a seat on the empty stool beside mine and waves for one of the waiters to make their way over. When he answers, he's not even looking at me. "Caroline said you were taking a cab home."

"And you're here because…"

"You're not going to be doing that."

I place my drink down on the table and cross my arms just as he yells to the approaching waiter that he'll have a bourbon neat. When his eyes slide towards the DJ booth, I lean forward and say, "I don't need a ride home, Damon."

"Yes, you do. You already wasted your money on the ride here. Save your boyfriends billions for the future."

My eyes narrow. "It's _my_ money, Damon."

"Whatever, Elena. I'm here. You're coming home with me. End of discussion."

I turn my body forward, arms still crossed, eyes narrowed. I just can't believe how stubborn he's being. But to be honest, I don't really want to take another awkward hour long drive home with a stranger. I'd rather have an awkward drive home with Damon. It's why I don't fight him on it even though every fiber of my being is yelling at me to just because of his attitude.

If he wants nothing more to do with me than what the hell is he doing here?

But instead of getting on him about it, I say nothing and focus on the DJ and music and the crowd. Anything but Damon. I cut myself off at the one drink I have, afraid to have a repeat of what happened at the vineyard. That's the last thing I need to add to my already messed up head.

And just when I'm about to ask him if he's ready to go, the DJ switches things up and plays that Ed Sheeran song that did heightened the tension at Giuseppe's house. Because that's just my luck.

 _Settle down with me…_

Damon and I lock eyes and then look away and I know I can't fight back what I'm dying to say any longer. "I can't stop thinking about you, Damon. And I…I don't know what to do." There it is. Out in the open, shouted into the void. And I know he's heard me because the muscle in his jaw tightens and I see his eyes close shut.

"Don't do this, Elena," he says.

"I hate this, Damon. I don't know what to think or feel or do ever since I decided to come back here. And after what you said that night…"

He's shaking his head, still studiously looking ahead. "What, Elena? Me finally being over you?"

I gulp. "Yes."

"Well, now you know how I felt when you ended things and all you left me with was your back as you ran away. At least I'm still showing my face. Although it would be a shame to deny the world of it."

Turning away from him, I mutter, "I don't even know why I bother."

We're silent for a moment as the chords of that all too familiar song plays throughout the room. Then Damon breaks the silence. "Elena, look at me. Look at me." Cautiously, I slide my eyes over to his face. I notice the tension is gone; replaced by apprehension as he looks at me. He's being completely vulnerable with me at this moment, in this room full of strangers. And I know he hates every minute of it, but he's doing it for me. _For us._ "If you feel the same way about me… _Please_ …Just tell me now. We can figure out the rest together. Just tell me what you're feeling, Elena."

I look at him for a long moment, noticing every little detail of his face. His eyes are open and vulnerable, his mouth tight with tension as if he's preventing himself from putting more of his heart on the line when he's already given away so much. I know I'm taking way too long to get all of this out but my head is just such a mess right now and I'm regretting even starting this whole conversation in the first place. This fucking song.

Finally, I just opt with what I do best. Denial. "I can't," I say and I watch as his face falls. "I can't. It's too late." And I do another thing I'm good at: running away. I gather up my things and start to make my way out of the club. "It's too late," I repeat as I past him.

I maneuver my way out of the crowd and towards the exit, pushing open the door and stepping into the cool summer air. It's raining outside—pouring, actually. _Of course it is_. That will make it only that much more difficult to get a cab to come all the way out here. I pull out my phone and start searching cab companies when I hear someone exit the club behind me.

And it's Damon.

"Let's go," he says, noting the rain and sliding off his jacket and using it to cover me.

I give him a quick look and then together we make our way towards his Camaro. He lets me take his jacket as I make my way towards the passenger side and he's absolutely soaked as he unlocks the car and slides into his seat and reaches over to unlock mine. I quickly hop inside and place his jacket on the backseat and try to ring out my hair that still managed to get sopping wet.

Damon quickly turns the car on and puts it in drive and gets us far away from this place. We're both silent as he tries to navigate through this torrential downpour, neither one of us wanting to say the first word. Instead I focus on watching out the dashboard window at the limited view I have through the rain and Damon's windshield wipers. If I can barely see the road I have no idea how he's managing to.

He's as close as he can be to the steering wheel, squinting his eyes to see through the sheets of rain falling down on us. I know he's having trouble because he's going excruciatingly slow and tapping his breaks every now and then just to make sure we aren't hydroplaning.

But then something goes wrong. I see Damon back up and reach for his emergency break as he seems to lose control of the car. I start calling out his name and he keeps telling me to brace myself as we suddenly veer off the road and down a hill into an embankment. The jolt is lessened by the fact that Damon's arm has reached out and braced me, protecting me more than any seat belt could.

When it all suddenly stops, Damon's eyes are on mine. "Are you okay?"

I feel my body, making sure everything is okay and it's not just the adrenaline moving quickly through my system. "I think so. Nothing hurts." My eyes turn on him. "Are you okay?"

He nods, relieved. "I'm going to check the car. Stay here."

I nod and watch as he exits the car and starts walking around it. He runs to my window and opens the door. "What's wrong?"

"The car seems okay. It just looks like we're just stuck in the mud. Can you hop in the driver's seat and try to get her moving while I push?"

"Yeah, just tell me when to start."

"I'll knock three times on the trunk."

He shuts the door and I climb over to the driver's seat and start the engine. I can see Damon moving around in the back. It looks like he's found something to lodge under the tire to give it some traction. When he knocks on the trunk three times I press my foot on the gas and try all I might it just doesn't budge. Damon has me try a few more times, even trying to push it free, covering himself in mud in the process—but it still won't budge. We're stuck.

Damon opens the driver side door and I slide back over to the passenger seat. I see how wet and dirty he is and I remember something from when we used to date and reach into his glove box and pull out a cloth and hand it to him.

"I forgot that was in there," he says, wiping the mud from his face. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I reply, wrapping my arms around myself to fight off a chill.

I can feel Damon's eyes on me as he reaches behind him and brings his leather jacket I had been using as an umbrella to my lap. "It's better than nothing."

I give him a small smile and slip my arms into the jacket already feeling warmer. "Do you have reception?" I ask.

He fishes for his phone in his jeans and checks it. "A couple bars. I'll call AAA and see if they can get someone out here to help us out."

As he begins typing out the number on his phone and bringing it up to his ear, I check my own phone and find it dead. Looks like it's a good thing Damon showed up tonight or who knows where I might have ended up. I listen as he tries to tell the guy on the phone around where we should be and tries to get a time frame out of him. He grumbles about something and then hangs up.

"Well?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "We're one of many cars stranded tonight and they're short-staffed. He said it's going to be a few hours."

"Oh."

It's all I can say. Of all the nights for this to happen it has to be on a night where Damon and I are in a very awkward place. This couldn't have happened after we tasted cake or any other time when we were getting along. No, it has to happen now.

"I'm gonna go check to see if there's any road signs around us. Maybe we can find some place warmer to wait this out."

He doesn't even wait for me to answer before he's jumping out of the car and running towards the road in the rain. I don't know what's come over me but I jump out of the car too and start screaming his name. "Damon! Damon!"

Damon stops and turns towards me. "What are you doing? Get back in the car, Elena!"

"There are no signs, Damon! You would've seen them when you were driving!"

"I was more focused on watching the road and making sure we didn't crash into a tree!"

I sigh and completely forget that I'm standing here soaking wet, my clothes drenched and yelling at a man I should be giving distance too. I'm so confused with everything and I know that he's better off without me. And yet I just can't let him go.

"Is it really that hard to sit in a car with me?"

He balks. "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that question? You're the one who ran out of the bar!"

"Because I'm afraid of the answer, okay?"

And that causes Damon and me to stop. We freeze, both of our chests heaving from exertion. It's exhausting fighting against what seems like the most natural thing in the world. He jogs up towards me so we're only standing a breath apart and very slowly asks me, "What _is_ the answer?"

"Do we have to rehash this again, Damon?"

" _What's_ the answer, Elena?"

He's towering over me, impeding on my personal space. He's so close I can taste him; taste the bourbon on his breath, the scent of rain off his skin. We're in the middle of nowhere completely secluded and yet I feel like I'm being exposed.

How did he manage to do this in a room full of people?

All he's demanding from me is the truth and isn't it time I not only admitted it to myself but to him?

"I'm still in love with you!"

And then suddenly the distance between us evaporates and I'm not sure who closes the distance first. Whether I cling to him or he reaches for me, it doesn't matter because suddenly he's kissing me and everything else in the world disappears. Everything feels right. Nothing exists but Damon and this moment. I would've forgotten my own name if he wasn't shouting it against my lips.

He moves us backwards and I feel the cool hard metal of his Camaro underneath me as he lifts me up and settles me upon it. I slowly lean backwards as he moves over me, never once breaking contact with his mouth on mine. Our hands are everywhere, exploring what we've denied each other for so long—what I denied him. And as hot as this is and as much as I want him, this is already difficult enough with our clothes soaked through but trying to do this on a car with us sliding and fumbling our way out of our clothes is just going to get dangerous.

Thankfully Damon reads my mind because he lifts me up again and together we make our way into the backseat and instantly reconnect once again. Then everything seems to speed up. He slides his jacket off of me, I lift his shirt off of him, he slides my dress over my body, and I start to unbuckle his jeans. All the while his mouth is on mine and we're both mumbling desires when we should be taking breaths.

 _How is it when I'm so breathless it finally feels like I can breathe?_

It's all happening so fast that I can't even think. All I can focus on is him and what I'm feeling and to hell with everything else. I'll worry about it later. Anxiety begins to creep inside of me as the sound of his zipper sliding down echoes in the car, but Damon's hand tenderly brushes my cheek and then the fire reignites and together we slide off his jeans.

Then it's just the two of us in our underwear and the sound of the rain outside. It suddenly starts to slow down as Damon kisses his way down my jaw and neck and along my shoulder as his one hand slides down my bra strap and the other masterfully unclasps it. Slowly, it slides free of my body and then I pull Damon down on top of me as his mouth explores my breasts.

My nails dig into his back, spurring him on, pushing his body closer to mine. Then my fingertips dance their way to the waistband of his boxer briefs and ease them down to his knees before I can wrap my hand around him.

At that touch, Damon groans beautifully in my ear and I almost lose it right there at the sound of pure wanton desire within him. Then his teeth nip at my collarbone and he elicits a cry from me. We're even and as much as I want to taste him and he wants to taste me, it's been far too long since we've connected like this and all I need and want in this moment is to be as close to him as I can possible be.

I ease him towards my entrance and suddenly we're connected, fused…one. It's crowded and cramped and all of our limbs are at awkward angles and I'm positive I'm going to have a neck cramp in the morning but none of that matters once Damon and I start moving. This isn't awkward. This doesn't feel wrong. It feels like suddenly all is right in the world and we've been doing this all of our lives.

Our bodies move together as one as we cling to each other, slowly, languidly kissing each other as the windows fog up the rain slides down the glass. I've always been obsessed with Titanic and in this moment I know what Kate and Leo shared has got nothing on us. We're burning, bright passion—a force to be reckoned with. In this moment I understand what has been missing.

What's been missing is him.

 _Damon._

The absolute-without-a-doubt-love-of-my-life.

My heart feels complete, my soul intact and I no longer have to question what actions are my own and what parts of me belong to the people-pleasure I've been. Because with Damon I am more myself than I have ever been with anyone else. With Damon I can just be.

I'm not the doting daughter, the prom queen, the star student. With Damon I am just Elena. And it's as simple and as pure as that.

I can feel my body reaching that all too familiar point. The point where your whole body is buzzing, full of too much sensation and it all seems too pull together in the pit of your stomach, gathering and gathering until suddenly it shoots out of your fingertips and toes and suddenly your spiraling and pulling him with you and begging him to ride this with you.

And Damon does.

Boy, does he ever.

His body is taut and lean and all of it is hovering over me, moving against me with just the right pace and angles that I spiral again. And this time he joins me, shouting my name over and over again as if he wants the whole world to know how much he loves me, wants me, needs me. But it's not the whole world. It's just me.

But then again—to him—aren't those things one and the same?

When we come down, we're still clutching on to each other and slowly kissing; refusing to break this moment. The rain has started to let up; it's now light pitter-pater against the windows. When we finally break, Damon looks over at the clock and I realize a whole two hours have passed and yet it all felt like a heartbeat.

We slowly get dressed and he lets me wear his jacket once again. We're quiet, silent, thinking. Before he climbs into the front seat, he gives me one more kiss; a hard press of his mouth upon mine. I almost don't want to let go, don't want it to stop, because I'm afraid of what will happen once I reach that front seat and we both let the rest of the world back in.

I'm afraid of what I'll do.

But when I sit back up front, the world doesn't implode. Damon reaches for my hand and I don't push it away, wracked with guilt. I'm still somehow in the bubble, still in a moment. I know it'll break eventually when the reality seeps its way slowly back in. When the consequences of what I've done hit me. But it hasn't happened yet.

And I know Damon's waiting for it.

I can tell by the way he watches me as the AAA truck appears. How he sneaks glances over towards me as he signs some paperwork and talks to the guy. When AAA gets us back on the road he waves the guy off I can tell he's waiting for that moment when I bolt.

But the thing is I don't.

Not yet.

So instead he drives me home and never let's go of my hand. And I cling to his hand with both of my own as we near my hotel. I want to invite him inside, carry this moment on for as long as I can. But I'm exhausted and I know he is too. So instead we kiss, long and hard and breath-taking and then I exit his car and make my way inside.

And it's only when I get inside, when I wash away the rain and the sex and climb into bed; when I plug in my phone and turn it on and see my boyfriend has left me four texts asking where I am, wishing me goodnight; that it finally hits.

 _How could I have done this?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: Brownie points to any of you who can name the TV show that I quoted in this chapter…Besides TVD obviously ;)….**

* * *

 _Damon's POV…_

* * *

I'm actually giddy.

I'm in my late twenties, own more leather jackets than I should, curse like a sailor, have done some pretty shady shit in my past, and swallow bourbon like it's water but I'm wearing a huge goofy smile on my face. Couple that with the spring in my step that can only be the result of one thing: Elena Gilbert is in love with me. And it's the greatest fucking thing I've ever heard.

Last night with the rain and the tension and all of the overwhelming emotions caused an emotional rollercoaster I'd be more than happy to ride over and over again. From fighting with her to making love to her, it was all enough to give me whiplash. And even though I hate the timing of it with every fiber of my being, I can't regret it. Because being with Elena—showing her just how in love with her I am—isn't something I could regret. Ever.

And knowing she loves me, too? Kissed me back? Didn't let go of me until she had to get inside? That's just the icing on the fucking chocolate cake.

I'm standing in the shower, washing off and I just can't keep this smile off my face. Even as the doorbell rings and I wrap a towel around my waist and practically skip my way to the door, it's still plastered firmly on. But when I open the door I see the face I want to see but it isn't the person I want it to be.

"Katherine?"

She pushes her way inside and I watch as she saunters over to the couch and lays on it upside down, dumping the contents of some form of snack into her mouth. "Well, how did it all go?"

"Hello, Katherine. Good afternoon. Oh, you want to come inside and rehash some plans? Sure, come on in," I mock as Katherine once again makes herself at home in my place.

I tighten up the hold on my towel to make sure I don't give her a peek of the goods as make my way over to my bedroom to quickly get dressed. I can hear her rambling through the door as I slide on a pair of jeans and a grey tee and towel dry my hair.

"Come on, Damon. Share! I'm dying to know if it all worked. Last thing I heard was you were following through on the whole 'make Elena imagine life without you' and then you ran out of the bar to pick her up at some club an hour away."

When I step out of my room, Katherine is waiting in front of it—arms crossed over her chest and a lifted brow over her wide eyes still waiting for me to finish the story. I hated playing Elena the way I did by pushing her to realize things when she wasn't ready but there was no other way around it. And it wasn't like I was completely faking what I told her in my father's home. I meant every word of it. If she got engaged to Elijah that would be the kick in the ass I needed to finally realize that as strong as my feelings for her are, she's just too afraid to handle them.

I just conveyed my anger over the whole situation a little prematurely.

And it worked.

But I had never anticipated how well. And I have a feeling Kat won't be too happy about that whole development.

I push past her and make both of us some coffee. Behind me I hear the slide of a chair and know that Katherine has taken a seat at the island. "Well?"

With a sigh, I turn around and brace my arms against the counter right in front of the coffee pot which is currently brewing. I want to change the subject because the last person I want to have this conversation with is Elena's twin sister. Yet here we are.

"It went okay," I say, but try as hard as I can I can't stop the smile that tugs on my lips.

"Your shit-eating-grin says otherwise."

I take a breath. "We fought. She confessed that she loved me. Then we did it in the back of the Camaro. See? No biggie."

Katherine's mouth drops and then she snaps it shut and narrows her eyes at me. "You weren't supposed to sleep with her, Damon!"

I shrug. "I couldn't help it! I got all caught up in the moment."

She just shakes her head as the coffee pot beeps and I turn around and pour us each a cup. Unfortunately she likes it black just like I do so I can't avoid her gaze like I want to by doing other things. Instead I push her cup towards her and ease back against my counter waiting for her to lay it into me.

"Damon, you know my sister. This is going to send her right back into Elijah's arms. The guilt over cheating on her boyfriend with you is just going to push the two of you further apart."

I shake my head. "It wasn't like that, Kat. I kept waiting for that moment for her to close up but she clung to me the entire time. She didn't want me to go. If we both weren't filthy and exhausted she would've invited me up and we would've figured it all out."

"Until reality hit her and she sent you away!" Kat yells. "It just didn't hit her when she was with you. Has she even texted you, Damon?"

I've been so focused on everything I'm feeling that I never thought to check my phone. I walk over to where my phone is resting and press the button revealing several messages from Caroline and Stefan about the upcoming rehearsal but not a single message from Elena. Maybe Katherine is right. Maybe I really did screw this all up.

But seeing her all passionate and yelling that she loves me was just too much for me to handle.

Can you really blame a guy? Elena Gilbert being passionate about her feelings for me is my Achilles heel.

"No messages."

"I told you."

Frowning, I put my phone back on the table and place both my arms on the back of my leather couch. That giddy smile on my face is long gone as the implications of what Katherine is saying hit me like a slap across the face. Elena is going to do what she's good at and run. She's going to stick with what's good and not with someone who makes her push aside her morals. I've screwed this whole thing up for all of us.

"What can we do to fix it?" I whisper because I'm at a loss. If only I had dragged Katherine with me last night maybe all of this could've been avoided. But then again I never would've had last night.

Before Katherine can even get a word out there's a knock on the door and we both turn towards the door. For some reason Kat takes it upon herself to breeze on over towards the door and swing it open. I can only imagine the shock on her face when she comes face to face with her sister.

So much for running away.

"Kat? What are you doing here?" Elena's eyes flick over towards my face. "With Damon?"

I have to laugh at the clear jealousy in her gaze. The idea that I could ever spend a night like I did with Elena and finish it off with Kat is laughable. But I know that there is evidence for her jealousy. She's caught the two of us in compromising positions before.

But that's never happening again.

"I was begging him to come to my appeal," Kat lies easily. And I nod along like we weren't just talking about Elena seconds before she appeared. "I could use all the help I can get."

Elena studies both of us for a minute before she seems to accept it. "The more people you have to prove just how far you've come the better. You should definitely be there, Damon. Not just as her boss but her friend."

"And I shall," I say. And I mean it. If Katherine has an appeal coming up I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Klaus doesn't beat her again. No kid deserves to grow up without a mother. I should know.

Katherine nods and slides past her sister. "It's settled then," she smiles. "Now that my work here is done. I'll see you both at the Grille later on, yes?"

"Yeah, Caroline wants us all to meet there."

"Okay." Katherine gives a little wave of her hand. "Bye!"

And as she appears behind Elena she mouths at me to fix things before disappearing. Then it's just Elena and I alone and silent. _Awkward._

"Are you going to stand in the doorway or did you actually want to come inside?"

"Oh!" she says, stepping over the threshold and into my apartment. It's the first time she's been here and I notice the way her eyes take notice of every little thing. My place is definitely a bachelor pad but I wonder if she's imagining our apartment that we were supposed to have—picturing what it would have looked like if things had worked out between us.

She's just standing there, taking everything in and being quiet as a mouse until finally her eyes land on mine. "Hi."

"Hi," I say back and even I can feel the weight of the awkwardness between us. Its thick and making everything hard to swallow; hard to talk and yet we have to. We're a room apart and even as we step towards each other until only the length of one of my tables separates us, it's still too close.

Everything was so easy last night and now we're left with the weight of it. Am I allowed to touch her? Look at her? Hug her? Kiss her like I want? Instead I'm fighting with everything inside of me to stay at this distance so I don't scare her away. I have no idea what's going on in her head or where her mind is at but I can tell she's just as unsure as I am.

No one planned last night but—like I said—I don't' regret it. And I'm hoping like hell that she doesn't either.

Elena gives a little laugh and then awkwardly says. "Can we not do this?"

"We're not doing anything," I quickly say, taking a few steps towards her but still keeping my distance. "We're just standing, clothed…just standing doing nothing."

Elena's eyes glance upward and she bites her lip. Something she always does when she fights against that part of herself that's natural. Something I've always loved watching her do. "I mean the whole," her eyes meet mine and I feel the concern in them, "not sure how to act around each other."

"Oh," I say because I'm just not sure what else to say. This is all going to be awkward until I just know what's going on in that pretty little head of hers. And yet I'm scared as hell to hear it.

"Look," she starts and unknowingly steps towards me, "about last night."

I brace myself for it. Surely if Elena was going to tear my heart out she wouldn't have come here and done it in person. If she was running, she would do just that. I would be dealing with a girl in denial. But instead she's here, in my apartment, bringing it up herself.

"It shouldn't have happened," I blurt out. I watch as her eyes widen as she seems shocked by my words. Quickly, I finish, "At least not then. Not when you're with someone else."

She places her hand on the table beside us and I notice her eyes glance down to the pictures resting on it. There are pictures of me with my father and Stefan, Stefan and me at the grand opening of the Mystic Grille, some shots of me and my friends, but then her eyes land on the frame right in the center and grow wide. It's hard to miss in its silver frame among the wood and nickel ones. I watch as her fingertips dance along the glass and she smiles to herself.

It's a photo of the two of us at prom. One of the last really great moments we had before I found out about Stefan and ruined everything—before she ran. She's in my arms and smiling beautifully and I look the happiest I have ever been. Even though she dragged me to prom and put my name down for the Prom King and I hated every second of it, being with her and seeing her in that beautiful dress and getting to dance and hold her all night made it all worth it.

I remember the photographer begging us to look at the camera but I kept murmuring in her ear everything I wanted to do to her and how beautiful she looked and neither of us could keep our eyes off each other. So, instead of a staged shot the guy captured a wonderful candid of two people in love—two people completely unaware of how quickly things would unravel in the weeks to come.

"You keep this out?" Elena says, staring at me.

I nod. "It's one of my favorites."

Of course she doesn't know about the box of photos under my bed. The silly ones, the serious one, the ones where were kissing or laughing or just being with each other. She had no idea about how I may have tried to move on but try as I might I just couldn't set up this apartment and not have her face among the photos of all the people I love.

Because she's always been one of them. Always will be.

"But what about when you brought girls home? Or girlfriends?"

I shake my head. "That photo doesn't belong in a box, Elena. And you already know why."

She does. I confessed everything to her when I showed up at her hotel room. She knows that no matter how much time has passed those feelings I had haven't gone away. She knows because she feels it too. I know she does.

I watch as she shakes a little with nerves before she finally speaks. "I don't regret last night, Damon. The timing was wrong and it shouldn't have happened but it did and I can't regret it. For some reason the only times I've been honest about how I felt this entire trip was when I was with you."

"You can always be honest with me."

She gives me a sad smile and I can't be sure what she's thinking. "I know that. I know. It's because of you that I made up with my sister. It's because of what you said at the vineyard that I've been able to stand up to my parents and even think about what I want out of life."

"That's good, Elena."

Her hand runs through her hair. "But I just don't know what to do. I know I should have it figured out. I know that it should be easy to know who I want to be with. But I've been with Elijah for a long time and he deserves more than just a phone call saying that we can't be together. I need time to think all of this through and figure out what I want. Figure out who I am. Because it's not this person, Damon. I'm not the girl who cheats on her boyfriend."

And even though my heart is breaking at her words, I'm so fucking proud of her. Because she's thinking for herself and even though I want her to run right into my arms I know that I don't want Elijah to have to go through what I went through. Elena shouldn't run from him either. Even if it means she's running to me.

"Sure, of course. Take all the time you need."

She gives me another one of those sad smiles that melt my insides to mush. "Thank you, Damon. I appreciate it."

Then she gives me a long stare and I stand still as she closes the distance between us and gives me a peck on the cheek. She lingers with her lips pressed against my skin for a few moments before she finally pulls away and with a quiet mumble of goodbye, she walks out of my apartment only stopping to wave before she closes the door.

I'm not sure if this is the last time I'll completely have her in my life. For all I know Elena could choose Elijah and my heart will be shattered once again at her absence. But what I do know is that this time she's not running away. She's choosing whether or not she wants to stay.

* * *

 _Elena's POV..._

* * *

"You look beautiful, Care!"

I release my best friend and take a moment to admire the above the knee A-line dress she's wearing. It has ribbon and a bow cinched at her waist and it fans out around her hips creating a beautiful silhouette that has her looking like a knockout. I shake my head at her beauty and give a quick kiss to Stefan before he runs off to greet some of his family.

"Look who's talking," she teases, admiring my black lace dress. "Are you trying to drive Damon even more nuts than you already are?"

"Caroline," I warn, looking over my shoulder to where Damon is embracing his brother. _Good_ , he's not close enough to listen in and he seems busy enough talking with Stefan's family to pay any attention to us. "You know how much this is killing me."

She gives me a sympathetic look. "You told Elijah and he said he still wanted a future with you. Damon wants a future with you. You just have to figure out who you see standing by your side while you figure your own future out."

"I'm not sure what I want."

Caroline shakes her head. "Yes, you are."

"I don't, Care. I love Elijah, with all of my heart, but with Damon…I don't know. It's like he'll always have a piece of my soul."

"So, you have to figure out what part of yourself you want to follow; your heart or your soul?"

I give a little shake of my body because I'm just so over monopolizing my best friend's moments. This needs to be about her and not about the little triangle I've worked myself into. I give her a smile and hug her once again. "I really lucked out having you for a best friend."

"You and me both, 'Lena. Who else would help Giuseppe Salvatore throw me this amazing rehearsal dinner?"

We release each other and I laugh thinking about how awkward it had been when Damon and Stefan's father approached me asking for help with planning the rehearsal dinner. He wasn't really one for party planning and didn't have any women in his life to help him and for some reason I was the one he came to. It was strange at first because I had always thought of Damon's father as this brooding, angry, unapproachable man but the years had softened him. And it seemed having both Stefan and Damon in his life helped as well.

He let me take the reins and gave me a budget and I ran with it, knowing my best friend well enough to pick out the decorations she would like. I decided on the Grille because I know it means a lot to Stefan and to Caroline and I just recreated the place into a romantic atmosphere full of photos of the two of them through the years and hundreds of flowers and lights. I transformed the industrial rustic edge of the Grille into rustic elegance and needless to say everyone has been wowed by the transformation.

"I'm sure some poor party planner would've helped," I tease.

Caroline shakes her head. "But they wouldn't know me like you do. Elena, I'm serious. This rivals one of my parties."

"I aim to please," I smile. "Now go greet your guests."

She gives my hand a quick squeeze and disappears into the crowd, rejoining her soon-to-be husband and mingling. My eyes glance over towards Damon and I see him approaching me. My nerves start to build up inside. The hurt on his face when I told him I needed time to figure things out is still burned into my brain. But then again so is the pain in Elijah's voice when I told him I had slept with Damon.

"Hi," he says when he reaches me.

"Hi," I say back.

"Okay," he laughs. "We need to get passed this awkward teenage greeting."

I laugh back, covering my face before I stare into his eyes again. "I agree. It shouldn't be this awkward."

"Nope," he says, prolonging the single syllable.

"And yet it is," I say.

He looks down at his shoes and it gives me a moment to appreciate Damon Salvatore in a suit. He's crisp and freshly shaven and unbelievably sexy and I can't help but notice the eyes that watch him as he talks to me. And it's while I'm looking around the room that I notice my parents walking towards us, followed by someone who I wasn't expecting until early tomorrow morning.

Damon must notice my attention is elsewhere because he follows my gaze and steps back to allow my parents into our space. His eyes shift between my shocked, wide ones and my parents knowing smiles and the man he has yet to meet.

But the man steps forward and extends his hand, every bit the rival to Damon Salvatore in his elegant suit. After all, he practically lives in one. I watch as Damon grasps his hand and the man says, "You must be Damon Salvatore. I don't think we've met. I'm Elijah. Elena's boyfriend."


	16. Chapter 16

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: There was a lot of talk about a certain line last chapter but no one guessed where it came from… It's from Beverly Hills 90210. Kelly says it about Brandon and Dylan. I used it because it reminded me a lot of where Elena's head was at towards the end of Season 3. Where she was supposed to love Stefan but Damon just snuck up on her and consumed her. Try as she might, she can't let him go. Sound familiar?**

 **Anyways… Elena has to deal with her parents and Damon has to deal with Elijah… This should be fun…**

* * *

 _Elena's POV..._

* * *

"What is Elijah doing here?" I harshly whisper at my parents.

I'm just in complete and utter shock. Elijah wasn't due until tomorrow morning. He told me as much on the phone earlier today before I went to Damon; before I had to leave to set this whole event up. He knew I would be too busy with everything to hang out with him and so despite finding out that I slept with my ex-boyfriend he told me I would see him as I walked down the aisle.

And yet there he is—walking out of the Grille with Damon.

My father rolls his eyes. "Don't make a scene. You should be happy he surprised you."

"Yes, sweetie," my mother agrees. "I think it's really sweet of Elijah to want to spend more time in your hometown, with your friends and family."

"Then why is he with Damon? Why isn't he here with us or talking to Caroline?" I challenge. Because I saw their faces when they caught me talking to Damon and I'm willing to bet they can at least guess what's been going on even if they don't know the full details of it. As far as they're concerned, Damon Salvatore is neither friend nor family and I should be doing all I can to make sure I end up with Elijah.

 _He's perfect_ …as my mother likes to say.

"To make sure Damon knows his place. You told Elijah everything that horrible boy did to you. He's just defending your honor. It's romantic, honey."

I shake my head. "Let's not get into that."

"You're too forgiving, Elena," my father says seriously, his voice low so he doesn't attract attention. That's the last thing he would want. No one is allowed in on the harsh reality of my family, just the picture perfect image we put out. "How you could talk to that boy or your sister is beyond me."

"People change, Daddy. Katherine was acting out. Damon just found out he had a brother. I understand why it all happened. I can't let it rule my life. I can't let it stop me from getting to know my niece."

My mother's eyes search the room nervously. "Don't talk about that child."

My arms cross over my chest. "You mean your grandchild? Amara?"

"Now is not the time to rehash old arguments, Elena Marie."

I scoff. "I think it's the perfect time. _Your_ daughter, my sister is here. She has an appeal in a few weeks to get shared custody of her daughter, _your_ granddaughter back and I've been doing everything I could to help get her out of that horrible place you let her live in; help her manage her money. And so what if she works in a bar? At least she's doing what she can to support herself. Why can't you just accept her the way she is?"

And that's when it hits me. My parents will never accept either of us; my sister for rebelling against them and me whenever I don't live up to their expectations. And I just can't be what they want me to be anymore. I can't live their life when I have to live my own. I can't fulfill what they wanted out of life and be their vessel. I have to figure it out for myself.

"You're never going to accept her. Just like you're never going to accept me for dropping out of medicine."

"What?" my father says, his eyes wide. "Elena, you are not leaving medicine."

I shake my head, tears falling from my eyes. "I am. Because I don't know if I want it for me. I don't know what I want. I've been living my life for both of you and I have to give myself time to figure out what I want."

"Elena, sweetie, you can't give up now," my mother pleads. "You've come so far. You'll lose everything."

My eyes drop down and I take a breath. "No, I'll gain everything back. I'll get my life back."

Before they can even try to persuade me back under their control, I excuse myself and make my way towards where Elijah and Damon went. I need to stop whatever is happening out there. I need them both to understand that this is all up to me and if they're going to be mad at anyone they should be mad at me.

But I don't get a chance because Caroline swoops in and grabs my arm. "I need you."

"What's the matter?"

Caroline releases a deep sigh. "Stefan's aunt said it's supposed to rain tomorrow. What are we going to do?"

I look over her shoulder towards the exit—towards Damon and Elijah—and give a sigh of my own. My best friend needs me but I can only hope that my boys outside don't. "We have a plan in place for that, Care, but it's only a small percentage. Everything is going to be beautiful no matter what."

"Can you tell _her_ that?" Caroline pouts. Then she puts on a faux smile. "She won't shut up."

I nod and laugh and let her drag me over to where Stefan is talking to a woman I can only assume is his aunt. As I'm pulled away from the exit, my mind keeps wondering what could possibly be going on beyond those doors.

* * *

 _Damon's POV…_

* * *

"Elijah," I say; and it's not a question, it's not to get his attention. I'm merely pointing out that before me lies the one guy who could pull Elena away from me. Well, Elijah and her father. I'd love to be a fly on the wall while Elena talks to her parents right now. How much shit is her father talking about me? And is Elena actually buying it?

I could tell by her face that seeing Elijah tonight was not planned. It can only mean he pushed up his arrival because he heard what happened between Elena and me. It's only giving him a few more hours with her but those hours could be important when Elena is in this state of mind.

He's facing the busy street, perfect posture with one of his hands placed in his pants pocket and the other resting effortlessly at his side. It's such an easy posture and yet there is something foreboding about it. He's eluding power and superiority and it's letting me know that introducing myself as the guy who slept with his girlfriend wouldn't be a smart move. Though the words are just dying to roll of my tongue because I hate the confidence he has right now.

Especially when I'm insecure about what Elena's choice is going to be.

"You must be Damon Salvatore," he finally speaks, still not looking at me. He's only made eye contact with me once so far—when he shook my hand and asked if we could speak outside. He hadn't even waited for me to respond. Elijah just kept walking towards the exit without so much as hello to his girlfriend or to check if I was following. Somehow the guy just knew I would.

"The one and only," I say, smirking. "Seriously, I did a search on _How Many of Me_. There's only one Damon Salvatore in the continental U.S."

His eyes slide over towards me, eyebrow arched. Suddenly my humor doesn't seem so funny. Yet it's just not in me to stop. Elijah angles his body towards mine and we're standing toe to toe. "I've heard all about your quick wit," he says. "Elena has mentioned it a time or two."

This catches my attention. As far as I was concerned she never spoke of me since she left Mystic Falls behind. "She mentioned me?"

"In the very beginning of our relationship. I could tell something was wrong and she opened up to me about what you had done…with her sister."

"That was a long time ago," I respond, chewing on my cheek.

Elijah nods. "That may be so. But just like your quick wit, old habits die hard."

My eyes narrow. "So is that what this conversation is about? You trying to point out why I'm all wrong for Elena? That I'll hurt her again?"

"No, Damon. I'm sure you already know those things for yourself. But I know Elena and she's happy in New York with our life together."

"You sure about that?" I challenge. "Because she seems pretty happy here."

He's quiet for a moment, studying me. "I'm a very moral guy, Damon, and Elena is, too. Do you honestly think that what the two of you have done isn't going to eat at her? She may love you but she still loves me and this isn't going to sit right with her."

"If you're such a moral guy, Elijah, how can you stay with her after what she's done?" The words taste like poison in my mouth.

Elijah kinks his one shoulder and says it like it's the most effortless thing in the world. "I love her, Damon."

"So do I."

He nods his head, purses his lips—this isn't new information. If my intentions weren't clear before, my sleeping with Elena and having this conversation just further proves how deep I'm in this. Elena is a pretty special girl and I'm not going away until she tells me to.

"It would appear we are both fighting for the same girl."

"Guess so." I take a step back, kick the curb. When I meet his eyes again he's studying me. It has me feeling like a little kid. How can Elena stand it? "I've lost her once, Elijah. I'm only going to back of if and when she tells me too."

"And I hope she does."

We don't shake hands, don't acknowledge each other in any other way but we seem to have reached some sort of understanding at least. Neither of us say another word as he turns and leaves and I'm left standing on the outside of my bar watching as he walks up to the girl we're both in love with and slips his arms around her and places a kiss on her cheek. Elena jumps a little and then settles into his arms a little uneasily but she's still smiling.

I've got to talk to her.

* * *

 _Elena's POV..._

* * *

"Are you ready to go?"

I turn to see Elijah stepping towards me, smiling as he looks up from his phone. He's been on and off it all night as we celebrated my best friend's upcoming wedding. I know he wants to talk some more about us but I can also tell by the tightness in his jaw that he still has some business to attend to.

My eyes look around the room. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do or else the Grille won't be ready to open tomorrow for the boys' brunch. There's no way I can ask Elijah to help or have him use Stefan or Damon's laptop in the back. He needs quiet and his own laptop which I know is still at the hotel. "Why don't you head back to the hotel? I still have to clean up all this mess and pack it away. I'll be in there in a bit."

Elijah's eyes look over my head where Damon and Stefan are on ladders taking down the fabric and lights from the ceiling. "Maybe I'll stay." His eyes drop down to his phone which vibrates in his hand. "Do they have a computer I can use?"

I step towards him, placing my arms on his shoulders. "Nothing is going to happen. We're just cleaning up and then I'll be at the hotel, promise. Stefan, Caroline, and Katherine are still here. By the time I get home you'll be done with what you have to do and we can talk."

He sucks in a breath. "Fine. Do you want me to send the car back?"

I shake my head and lean in to kiss him quickly. "I'll get a ride home with Caroline."

"Okay," he says, begrudgingly. When I pull away he pulls me back closer and kisses me a little longer and even I can feel Damon's eyes on us. I hate the competition they both seem to be in. I still have no idea what was said outside but whatever it was had Elijah being more affectionate than usual considering what he only found out a few hours before. When he finally lets me go he whispers, "I'll see you in a bit."

It's only when he leaves the Grille that I take a moment to breathe and relax. We have a lot to do and I can't worry about everything that's going on in my personal life. Instead I lose myself in cleaning, sweeping, tidying up the bar that Damon and his brother own. I feel bad having Caroline and Stefan help knowing it's the night before their wedding but they insisted. And it's helping us get some much done.

Plus, it makes it so it's not just Damon, Katherine and I…alone.

That would be even awkward than this morning.

I've been thinking about last night and this morning and this whole goddamn day nonstop. My mind keeps going back and forth on what it wants. I meant what I said to Damon about not regretting what happened but that doesn't mean it didn't make me feel like a horrible person. I cheated on someone I'm in love with…or at least I think I'm in love with him.

Gah! I'm just so confused with everything. I love Damon. I love Elijah. But who do I want to be with? Who is the person for me? I haven't even talked to Elijah about what I said to my parents. I'm not sure how he'll take it. The hospital is a big reason of why we're together. He's the board member, I'm the upcoming prodigy. Now that I'm not returning to medicine—at least not yet—doesn't that change or relationship? There's no run ins at the hospital or late night chats about new methods, or catching up on how or days went.

Instead I'll be trying to figure out what I want out of life. I'll be trying to find my passion. Will Elijah be able to handle that? He's used to the driven I-want-to-be-a-doctor Elena. Not this unsure person I've been hiding from him. He still doesn't know about what Dr. Laughlin said. I just haven't had the heart to tell him and I'm a little shocked my parents haven't divulged it all yet.

Actually, I'm not even sure they haven't. That might be on the agenda of topics we talk about tonight. Along with my adulterous behavior. Along with Damon.

 _And Damon..._ What am I going to do about Damon? Last night I was certain of how I felt—calling him the love of my life—but tonight I actually claimed to Caroline that Elijah had hold of my whole heart? As if Damon hadn't already dug himself in their deep enough to build a home. Like walking away from him now wouldn't rip me apart all over again.

But what we did… _What loving him made me do_ …Can I ever forgive myself for that? Is being with Damon always going to be a fight, a challenge, and a mess? Is it always going to challenge my morals or are those morals I have in place just an extension of what my parents made me believe? I'm just so confused.

I peel off the tablecloth on the large table we used for the bridal party and as I finish folding it up, I run my hands along the beautiful stained wood. It's beautiful, one-of-a-kind. "I never realized how beautiful these tables are," I say out loud to the room.

Caroline looks over towards her soon to be brother-in-law and smiles. "Damon did them."

"What?" My eyes lock with his and I can tell he's feeling a little bit shy. "Damon, you did all these tables?"

He shrugs, wrapping lights around his arms. "It's just reclaimed wood I find around town."

"' _Just reclaimed wood'_ ," Katherine mocks. "He's amazing. That used to be an old barn door on his father's property. Damon turned it into that masterpiece."

And it really is. I can see just how beautifully sanded it is and all the character he added to it in order to keep the rustic feel of the barn door. I always knew Damon was handy, he excelled in wood shop and he used to always help me with little projects around my parents' house and have me assist when he had projects at his own. But I had no idea he was this talented.

"We keep telling him he should open up a shop," Stefan adds. "He could make some real money in this town."

Damon ties up the lights he was working on and gets started on another strand. "I'm a little busy co-owning this wonderful establishment."

"You have plenty of time on your hands," Stefan points out. "You keep adding new projects here when you could be building up an inventory. Eventually we're going to run out of room."

"So, we'll franchise the place." Damon smirks.

Stefan shakes his place. "We both agreed to never doing that."

"Why not?" I ask, placing all the decorations in their bags and bins.

"It'll lose its charm," Damon says, seriously, looking over at his brother. I can tell this is something they've both talked extensively on. "Once we have to stretch ourselves and trust other people with our business, it's no longer the _Mystic Grille_. It's just some other bar and grill."

Smiling, I reply, "It's great that you both can agree on these things."

They both share a look as Damon walked towards me, placing the wrapped up lights in their bins. It's Stefan who speaks, taking the folded fabric from Caroline. "It's one of the first things we agreed on when we decided to start this adventure."

"First of many," Damon adds.

"Now I just have to persuade you to believe me on this furniture thing," Stefan smiles, slapping his brother on the shoulder.

"And I'm sure we can all help there," Katherine states, bringing all the left over balloons over.

Damon shakes his head. "It's just like Grille. The moment I take it on as a business it'll lose its charm. It'll stop being fun. It'll be a way to make money. I won't have a passion for it anymore."

Hearing Damon talk about passion strikes a chord with me. Damon never had a life planned out for him. His father gave him the option of entering the family business but Damon pushed it away; choosing instead to find his own way. And he did. He has his own business with his brother, does his carpentry on the side when he wants to and for himself. He's happy, secure.

Then there's Elijah who welcomed the family business and excelled in it. But is it what he always dreamed of doing? Or is it just what was expected of him and he just followed blindly? I've never heard him talk of anything else. Elijah is all about the hospital just like his entire family. Just like I'm supposed to be.

Only I'm beginning to question it. Elijah wasn't told he didn't have the passion for the family business. Damon didn't have the weight that I shoulder. He shrugged his off just like Katherine.

What am I passionate about?

"Place looks spotless," Caroline says, giving one last look over.

"Elena and I will load the stuff up," Damon says, causing me to snap my head towards him. He's volunteering me? "You guys just do a quick check and make sure we didn't forget anything."

Caroline and my sister go to object but I shake them off. If Damon wants to say something to me, I have to let him say it. Maybe it'll help ease my mind. We somehow manage between the two of us to get everything in the storage room in one trip. Then Damon says he needs some air and takes a step outside the back door and I follow him.

The night air is crisp and as I hear the door shut behind us, I can only watch him. He's standing in front of me, his body tense as if he's ready to spring into action. I can only watch, waiting until he turns around. And then he does.

He steps towards me, engrossing me and I can barely breathe. Then he speaks. "I know I said I would give you space and time to figure everything out but…Elena, I need to know what you're thinking. D-Did what happened last night ruin things between us?"

Damon is staring into my eyes and at my face full of such vulnerability and honesty that I can't help but share some of my own. "Every time I've looked in the mirror since this happened I…I feel like I'm looking at a stranger. I don't know who I am anymore, Damon. I don't know what to do or who to choose."

His face is breaking and I hate that it's the second time today that I've been the cause of it. "Are you in love with him, Elena?"

"I love him, Damon."

"But are you _in_ love with him?" he stresses, reaching out for me and grasping my arms. I'm surrounded by him and the whole moment feels charged. "Are you _in_ love with me? I know you love me, Elena. I know you love him. But who do you close your eyes and think about? Who makes you feel light and happy and carefree? Because for me, that person is you. It's always been you. I love you so much."

I don't know what to say. I'm mute, struck speechless by his honesty. He hasn't been this upfront with me since he showed up in my hotel room on my first day here. Even last night when he was demanding my honesty and showing me how much he loved me, he wasn't telling me. He hadn't even said he loved me back.

Because of my silence, he continues on. "If you chose him, Elena, it'll kill me, but I'll be okay as long as I know you're truly happy. As long as I know it's your decision."

For some reason, I blurt out the last thing he wants to hear when he's telling me how much he loves me. "I told my parents I'm quitting medical school."

Damon seems taken aback and I can't blame him. He just told me he loves me and I'm turning this back on myself and my parents. His eyes blink a few times before he says, "You're quitting medical school?"

I nod. "I'm just not sure if I want to be a doctor."

"How did Grayson and Miranda take it?"

My eyes drop down; I just can't bear to look at the disappointment on his face that he's trying so hard to cover. "Not well. But it's my life and I have to live it for me. Even if they'll disown me like Katherine."

"That's good, Elena." And he steps back, giving me space, air, room to breathe. I feel the absence of him in my senses and take a step forward.

"I know you want answers, Damon, but I just don't have them yet. I know I should. You both deserve better than this—than some crazed girl who can't even figure out her own life."

Damon shakes his head. "Don't say that. Elena, I'm so proud of you for being brave enough to step out from under your parents. That's all you've ever known and it takes a lot of bravery to build a life for yourself when one has so easily been handed to you."

"Thank you," I say. "And I'll figure this whole mess out, too."

"Good," he responds and leans towards me to press a kiss on my forehead. He hesitates just a moment before backing away and I follow him as he makes his way around to the front of the Grille where Caroline and Stefan are already saying their goodbyes.

I wave goodbye to Stefan and watch as he climbs into his brother's car where Damon is already waiting. They pull out just as Katherine and Caroline and I all climb into my best friend's car. Then Caroline drives us over to Katherine's condo and we're all talking about the wedding day tomorrow and full of excitement, but in the back of my mind I'm still focused on what Damon said.

It isn't until Caroline drops me off and I'm in the elevator on my way to my room where Elijah is waiting that I finally know my answer to Damon's question.

All it took was closing my eyes and picturing a face and the answer was there. Clear as day. I know who makes me happy and carefree; makes me feel like anything is possible. I already know who I'm in love with.

I step out of the elevator.


	17. Chapter 17

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: This chapter turned out completely different than how I had expected it to but I'm pretty happy with it nonetheless and hopefully you will be too :)**

* * *

 _Damon's POV…_

* * *

She's walking towards me just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. I mean let's be honest here I can't remember a moment when Elena Gilbert isn't stopping my heart with just how goddamn gorgeous she is. Even when we were dating and she would drag me on five mile runs and we would both be drenched with sweat and her ponytail was a mess, I just couldn't get over the light in her eyes and the way she smiled at me as we both tried to catch our breath. To be honest, it just made it all the more harder to breathe.

So the fact that she's walking towards me now with her hair pin straight with light make-up and glossy lips has my heart and respiratory system working overtime; she's dressed in a long flowing dusty pink gown and a bouquet of pale pink roses and white lilies. Her smile is bright as she looks ahead towards the alter, towards me, and then I watch as her cheeks blush and she hides behind a curtain of her hair before she brings her eyes back to mine.

I've imagined her walking down an aisle towards me over a thousand times, in a thousand different scenarios, in different ways. In every single version of them she was looking at me as she is now but even my imagination can't compete with the real thing. I almost have to remind myself we're in public, at my brother's wedding, where her boyfriend is in attendance. I have to remind myself not to clutch my heart and make her laugh as she steps closer and places her foot upon the stairs leading up to the dais.

Her eyes meet mine as she takes her place across from me and my brother. I'm standing by his side, supporting him and being his best man and I have to remind myself to enjoy this moment despite the woman I'm in love with being just a few feet away. I want to know what her and Elijah talked about last night, where her head is at with me and him and who she's going to choose. I want to know everything.

But as Elena's eyes snap towards the direction she just came from I follow her gaze and see my future sister in law walking towards us and I have to bring myself to this moment. Caroline has both her parents at her side and her face is bright and happier than I've ever seen her. Her eyes are intent on Stefan and I laugh at the way her parents seem to be holding her back from running into his arms, reminding her that she was the one who insisted on the pace. I clap my brother on the back and shake his shoulders a bit but his eyes never stray from his future wife.

"She looks beautiful," I whisper.

And I watch as his smile widens. He knows this—the whole room does. Caroline's hair is up with pieces of hair hanging around her face. The bottom half of her legs are exposed as she walks down the runner, showing off some heels I'm sure she spent a fortune on. There's a long veil pinned into her hair and it's draping down her back—I know from conversations that it was her grandmothers. But it isn't just the dress and the make-up and the shoes that show how beautiful she is, it's the way she is looking at my brother.

The way he is looking at her.

This is real love right before all of us in this room. The stuff fairytales should be written about. It's not charm and idealism; its faith and trust and real connection. It's everything I ever wanted with someone. It's what I thought I had once upon a time with Elena before I hid things from her and she ran away. Before we both became our mistakes and tried to build our lives without each other. Lives we both thought we were excelling in until we realized what was missing.

My eyes glance up at her and I see she is fighting back tears as Caroline kisses her parents and her father places her hand in Stefan's. My brother chokes on a sob and goes to wipe at his eyes and I see Caroline's hand brush the tear away as she blinks away her own. They're both so happy that they're bursting with it.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed myself.

The room falls silent as the minister welcomes us and gives us a speech on the beauty of love and brief story on how Stefan and Caroline met. He keeps it brief and lets my brother and Caroline share their vows. There isn't a dry eye in the house and I even have to pass over my handkerchief to Elena when her emotions become too much. She gives me a smile and mouths a thank you and then we both hand the soon to be newlyweds their rings.

With promises of forever and all that good stuff about sickness and health, for richer for poorer, they each slide on a ring and are proclaimed husband a wife. Then the room erupts into cheers as my brother launches as Caroline and she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him with all she's got. They forget the room, forget the crowd; they're too wrapped up in each other. The minister steps aside and claps his hands and I thank him for a beautiful service.

I congratulate my brother and my sister in law and I watch as Elena does the same, hugging them both as fiercely as I did. Then Caroline takes back her bouquet and raises it into the air and her and my brother make their way back down the aisle they had traveled down separately only this time it's hand in hand, together. Husband and wife.

Stepping towards Elena, I offer my arm. She gives me a smile and slips her arm through and together we make our way out. My eyes stay on her face, following her gaze, trying to see how she reacts when she catches sight of Elijah. But I don't see him. He's not here and as curious as I am, I'm not going to ask.

Nothing could make me drop that brilliant smile from her face.

We exit and step out into the sunlight. Caroline and Stefan are already in each other's arms, swaying and kissing as a photographer takes some candid shots. Elena slides her arm out and twirls a bit and I have a memory of one of the first times I got her drunk and she kicked my ass at pool and tried to do some messed up cheerleading routine to celebrate declaring that her tolerance was high despite the slur of her words and the shakiness of her steps.

She looked as free then as she does now and I can't help but wonder the reason behind it. It could be as simple as cutting her parents off from her life or it could have a much deeper meaning. One I'm hoping has to do with me.

Caroline and Stefan finally break apart and Elena run towards the newlyweds and hugs them both again. I walk slowly towards them and give them both a hug of my own.

"I can't believe you guys are _married_ ," Elena squeals.

" _I know_!" Caroline yells, shaking her head in disbelief. Her hands clasp her face and I take note of the new silver band accompanying her diamond ring.

Caroline's parents and my father join us and we begin receiving guests out into the garden. Tables with white linen and surrounding a dance floor covered by silk and lights await them and I can hear the audible gasps from guests who doubted that Caroline Forbes—I mean, Avery—could pull it off. The DJ Elena and I listened to is already getting the party started as cocktail hour begins and once all the guests are situated the four of us and our families—minus Elena's—went further into the property near the river to take some photos.

It's an organized mess of photos and poses and "you stand over their" and "tilt your body this way" as we try to get all the shots we can in this allotted time. During a collection of shots of just Elena and Caroline, I finally pull my brother aside and ask him the one question I've been dying to get an answer to ever since I literally shook every single guest's hand.

"Where is Elijah?" I whisper.

Stefan's eyes slide over to where Caroline and Elena are posing with their backs to each other and their bouquets raised in the air, making sure their far out of earshot. He turns towards me. "Don't get any bright ideas but Elijah flew back to New York this morning."

" _What?_ "

"Elena showed up at our place late last night," he finishes, giving me a warning glare. "I was on the phone with Caroline when she showed up."

My mind is racing. What does this mean? "Are they broken up?"

Stefan shrugs. "I have no idea. Caroline didn't really get into it and neither did Elena. She just wanted to focus on the wedding."

I nod my head, even though I'm full of questions. This isn't the time. I know that. I'll talk to Elena myself later. It just feels better to know that I don't have to look over my shoulder waiting for Elijah to pop up. "Thanks, Stef. Sorry for asking about it."

He places his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to find your happiness, too, brother."

"But for right now… let's focus on yours." My hand points over to where Caroline is waving him over. "Your wife wants you."

"My _wife_." He smiles. "I like the sound of that."

My brother doesn't say anything else as he jogs over to where his wife is. He gives her a kiss and poses for some more photos and Elena makes her way towards me. She's pinching her cheeks and moving her jaw and puts the widest smile on my face. "Cheeks hurt?"

She nods. "Too much smiling."

"And the night has just begun."

Elena stares at my face for a moment before she says, "That it has." She elbows my side, smiling. "Save me a dance?"

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and fill up with pride when she doesn't shrug out of my embrace. "You've got me all to yourself the whole night; except for an obligatory dance with the bride."

"No date?" she asks.

I shake my head. "No boyfriend?"

She chews her lip and then meets my eyes. "No. Not anymore."

I guess I have my answer.

* * *

 _Elena's POV…_

* * *

"This is the last of it," Katherine says, shutting the trunk of Caroline's car. It'll be mine for a while since the newlyweds are off in a limo to a secret location to enjoy a little alone time before they're off on their honeymoon. They've even been kind enough to let me stay at their place while I figure some stuff out. Including a trip back to New York to get everything settled.

There's no way Rebekah is letting me live with her after what happened between me and her brother. Family always comes first. Speaking of which…

"Thanks, Kat. You really didn't have to help me clean up."

She shrugs. "After all you've done for me? It's the least I could do."

"How is that all going?" I question, knowing that Elijah promised that despite everything he'd finish helping my sister. He cared enough about me to not punish my family for what I did. "You have everything all set for the appeal?"

"Yeah, Child Services came by and did the assessment and it seemed like everything is okay with that. It's just a matter of convincing a judge how much everything has changed." She pauses, looking at me. "You'll be back for that, right?"

I nod, reaching out and squeezing her arm. "Wouldn't miss it."

"And then what? What's next for you and Elijah? I noticed he wasn't here tonight. Did he have some big hospital emergency?"

My eyes drop to the floor and I squeeze my hands together. "He headed back a little earlier than planned. I don't think Elijah and me are going to work out."

"I'm sorry, Elena. It seemed like you two really got along."

"We did but…" I don't even know how to explain it. Something was just missing with Elijah. We didn't click the way we should and with all my uncertainty about the future and his pressure and planning about it we reached a crossroads. I just wasn't as in love with him as I thought. I loved him, I really did, but it's like Damon said; he just wasn't who I thought about when I closed my eyes. He wasn't the one who got a part of my soul.

That belongs to someone else.

When I entered the hotel room, Elijah had spread candles and rose petals all over the place. I was confused to say the least—we were in an odd place and now he was getting romantic?—but I acted surprised because I was. The moment he saw me, he dropped to one knee and confessed that he had been planning this for some time and even though it wasn't how he wanted to do it, he wanted to marry me. We belonged together.

But I wasn't feeling it. I just didn't feel as strongly about us as he did and I most certainly didn't want to marry him. Getting married right now was like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. I pulled him up to me and told him it wasn't working out and that's when we just started fighting. Never in the years we've been together had I seen Elijah so heated. He always remained cool and quiet when we fought, despite my yelling. Not last night. Last night I saw the passionate side of him, he always kept contained.

Ultimately, he left with his ring and I blew out all the candles, grabbed my things and checked out. It was a little too early to be heading to Caroline's but I just couldn't be there in that hotel room any longer. Not with all the remnants of my failed relationship. I gave her a brief overview and we went to bed and I carried on today as if nothing had happened. I wasn't about to ruin my best friend's wedding day.

However, the wedding was over now and it was all finally sinking in; along with the fact that I had to talk to Damon; sooner rather than later.

"You weren't in love with Elijah," Katherine says simply, finishing the sentence I couldn't finish aloud. My face must show my surprise because she leans against the car and continues. "I knew it from the moment I saw you with him. You were the people pleaser I grew up with despite the backbone I've been seeing in you lately. If it was real love you would be yourself. Like the way Caroline and Stefan are."

"I know," I frown, leaning against the fully packed car. "I just wish I realized it sooner. I was trapped in some kind of bubble in New York. It wasn't until I came back here that I realized how much of it was just because it was expected of me and not because of what I wanted."

"So, now what?" my sister asks.

I smile; a little uncertain "Now I head back to New York and drop out of the internship and get all of my things from Elijah's family's brownstone. Then I guess I come back here, find a place to live and get some kind of job until I can figure things out."

"And Damon?"

"I don't—" But I fall silent when the sound of another voice accompanies my own.

"What about Damon?" the man in question says, sauntering forward with a to-go bag in his hand.

Katherine rolls her eyes. "Didn't you eat enough at the reception?"

He shrugs. "You can't let all this food go to waste." Damon holds the bag out towards me. "This is for Elena anyways. They don't have any food over at Casa Avery. Stefan told me to make sure I grabbed her some leftovers."

"Oh," I say, grabbing hold of the bag and placing it on the trunk. "Thanks."

The three of us stand there in silence for a few moments before Katherine clears her throat and grabs her purse. "Well, if that's everything I'll be heading home." She steps forward and gives Damon and me a hug. When she lets me go, she stares at me and says, "Call me when you get back."

"I will," I say.

Katherine heads towards her car and drives off and it's only when her lights disappear in the distance that Damon finally speaks. "Where are you going?"

"Back to New York."

His face shows every bit of the shock he must be feeling. "You're going back?"

My eyes drop down. "I have to. There are some things I need to take care of."

"I'll go with you."

I shake my head. "This is something I need to do by myself, Damon. You can't come with me."

He studies my face for a moment. "Where does that leave us?"

There it is: the million dollar question. I know the answer should be simple but I'm so uncertain about my life right now that even though I know that I love Damon and I want to be with him I'm not sure what that means for us. How do we even start? Do we just pick up where we left off or do we try and start over? There's just so much I don't know. We're both so different than who we were in high school and yet still so much the same.

"I don't know, Damon."

I see the tension in his jaw as he turns away from me. He's silent and lost in thought and even though there's a bunch of things I want to say I can't get the words out. "Have I lost you forever?" he finally says.

There's a crack in his voice and it has me reaching for him. My hands cradle his face and I force his eyes to look at mine. "Never. I want you in my life, Damon Salvatore. I'm _in_ love with you. I've always been in love with you. It's why it was so hard to think about you when I was gone. It's why I tried to build a life without you and why it fell to pieces. I just don't know where to begin with you and me."

"We just start," he says with a little shrug, wrapping his hands around my waist and rolling the words off his tongue like it's the simplest thing in the world.

I shake my head. "I can't. Not now. Not when everything in my life is so uncertain. If we're going to do this, Damon, we need to do it right. I need to put New York behind me."

"Can't you do all that and still be with me?"

My hands slide down his face and rest on his chest where his heart is hammering underneath my palm like it's trying to break free and get to me. "We'll be together. I have no doubt about that. I can't shake you no matter how hard I try. It's just going to take some time. I did just get out of a serious relationship only last night."

His forehead drops to meet mine. It's like he can't bear to look at me. "So, we're just putting this thing between us on pause?"

"Just until I get back."

Damon sighs and I take a moment to lose myself in the sound of his breath, the feel of it hitting my face. We're so close and it would be so easy to just reach up and kiss him but that would only confuse him further. The moment New York and Elijah and the Mikaelson's are behind me is the moment I want to begin again with him. This way there is nothing in our way. I don't want to get together only to leave him again; no matter how short the trip.

"You certainly have a way of making me wait, Elena Gilbert."

I give him a small smile even though he can't fully see it. "Hopefully it's worth the wait?"

Damon hesitates and then smirks down at me. "Always."

Our foreheads separate and I lean forward and kiss his cheek, lingering for a moment before I pull back and whisper, "I'll be back before you know it. You won't even notice I'm gone."

He shakes his head, frowning. "I always notice."

The sadness in his voice has me putting aside my own rules and pressing my mouth to his. He deepens the kiss, sliding his hands up my back, along my arms to grab hold of my head and hold me to him. I melt into him and cling to his waist, digging my nails into his hips. It seems like forever has passed until we finally come up for air.

"A few days?"

I nod and repeat his words a little breathlessly. "A few days."

Damon smirks at me. "Elena Gilbert, will you go on a date with me…a few days from now?"

I smile, shaking my head at him. "I would love to."


	18. Chapter 18

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

* * *

 _Damon's POV…_

* * *

"She'll be here," I promise Katherine. "She promised you, didn't she?"

Katherine looks at me pointedly. "She also promised she would be back in a few days and it's been weeks, Damon." She huffs and starts pacing along the hallway of the crowded, busy city hall. Her heels are echoing against the marble floors and I can tell just how nervous she is by the way she wrings her hands as she does. "I knew it was too good to be true."

I reach out for her, rubbing my arm against her burgundy blouse and stopping her fortieth lap and make her look at me. "I'm here, Stefan's here. Hell, even Caroline is here. You've got this great lawyer. You're going to win this."

She gives me a little nod and I know she's putting on her game face. This is a fight for her daughter; Katherine is going to do everything she can to get her back. Klaus never should have taken Nadia from her mother in the first place. But the guy has always been an asshole since the moment I met him.

Marcel Gerard, Elijah's lawyer, makes his way over dressed in some thousand dollar suit and gets Katherine's attention. "You ready?"

I watch as she takes a breath and this look of fierceness takes over her face. She's ready for battle. "Let's do this."

Together they push open the doors and I follow them inside. Caroline and Stefan are already seated behind the defendants table and I make my way over to them. As I take my seat, I look over my should hoping that Elena is just running late and not completely bailing on her sister when she needs her the most. But she's not there and when I turn to face the judge I see Katherine has noticed it too.

Despite Elena's promise to be back in a few days she's been stuck in New York for weeks just like Katherine said. At first I was hearing from her constantly but the longer she was there, the fewer her calls and texts got. I started to worry that she was falling back into the life she was trying to escape and we started fighting about it. When I told her a booked a ticket and was on my way she just about had enough and told me this was something she had to handle on her own.

And now she didn't even make it back for her sister.

Elena got her sister's hopes up and I have a feeling if Katherine doesn't get custody of her daughter, she'll always blame Elena. If that happens then all the work they've done this summer would've been for nothing. They'll both be right back where they started.

The bailiff steps forward and asks us to all rise and just as the judge approaches the sound of a door opening catches my attention. My head snaps to the back of the room and I can't help the shock on my face. _Elena's here_. She quietly rushes towards us in a black turtleneck sweater with white stripes around her wrists and neck and a grey printed skirt. Her legs are bare and she's got heels on and when my eyes make their way towards her face, I see that her hair is in waves and she's got bangs. I find myself looking at her ring finger, happy that it's still bare.

She looks completely different than the last time I saw her. She looks grown up, free. More like herself than I've ever seen her. Elena slides in next to me and leans over to whisper in my ear. "I didn't miss anything, did I?"

I shake my head, unable to get words out. There's so much I have to ask her and so much I want to say but right now isn't the time. We'll talk about us later. Right now we just need to support Katherine. Elena gives a wave to Caroline and Stefan and then I see her meet her sister's eyes and mouth something that makes Kat smile. All I care about right now is that at least she was able to keep one of her promises. Even if it wasn't the ones to me.

The judge begins to go over the case and both lawyers give a brief opening about what their clients expect. Klaus wants to keep full custody but Katherine is open to shared custody; not wanting to keep Nadia from her father, despite everything he's done to her. While growing up in the place Katherine used to live wasn't ideal by any means she still didn't deserve to lose custody of her child. Nadia didn't deserve to lose the right to her mother.

After both Klaus and Katherine give speeches about how far they've come since the last hearing, we're each called to the stand to give character statements; including some of Klaus' peers and family to show how much of a stand-up guy he is. Our testimonies are heartfelt and full of how much Katherine has grown while Klaus' are matter-of-fact. According to them Klaus is the father who stepped up when Katherine was in no position to raise a child, despite his busy academic schedule. What a load of bullshit. It all goes by in a blur and the judge is writing down constantly and I can only hope he sees how far Katherine has come. It's evident in everything we're saying and everything she has proven. The last custody battle Katherine only had me. Now she has a whole support system.

And I'll be damned if Elena's speech doesn't bring the whole room to tears. She addresses the reasons she wasn't here before and how she has seen for herself how Katherine has grown from the girl she knew to woman before her. I can't help but look over at the judge who seems completely moved by what she's saying. You'd have to have a cold heart not to. My eyes snap towards Klaus and I see the uncaring expression on his face. He actually has the audacity to look bored. Fucking asshole.

When Elena's finishing her speech, I hear the tears she's fighting to hold back as she speaks about how important it is to grow up with a mother as kind and caring as Katherine; a mother who would put her child's life before hers. She tells the judge how both of them grew up with parents who said they wanted the best but didn't really mean it and how unlike them her sister means every word—they both do. Everything Elena says before she steps off that stands and rejoins us reminds me that I have to be patient with her no matter how ready I am to begin our lives together.

Elena needed time to cut free of everything she thought she wanted. Hopefully now that she's back, it means she finally did.

"Well," the judge begins, "I've heard everything I needed to hear. These decisions are never cut and dry. In an ideal world, parents would be able to be cordial and work these things out without involving the courts. But some time it's necessary. Sometimes a parent is irresponsible and putting the child in danger." He clears his throat. "I don't see that here."

He begins shuffling some papers around, scribbling down on a few of them before he speaks again.

"I'm deciding on shared custody. The child deserves to have both parents and Miss Gilbert here has more than proved her growth since we last spoke. She's secured a better residence and her career choice works to keep her available for her daughter thanks to both her bosses being understanding to her situation. Both Miss Gilbert and Dr. Smith will switch off holidays and work on creating a more stable environment for Nadia. I recommend we start with a temporary home residence with Katherine Gilbert for a six month period and reconvene after to discuss."

The gravel slams down and the judge dismisses us all. Katherine is so ecstatic she hugs her attorney and they awkwardly separate but Elena quells the tension by leaning over the small wall separating us and hugging her sister. It starts an assembly line of sorts as we all make our way over to Katherine and share our congratulations.

Then I somehow find myself in Elena's arms as emotion over comes her. "Hey. You okay?"

She wipes under her eyes. "I'm just so happy I made it. I almost didn't."

I don't say anything as I hold her because I don't want to get into the reasons for her delay right now. There's too much to celebrate right now in this moment. And just as we're all about to leave I see Klaus' mother—a tall, refined woman with a blonde bob—walking towards us with a tiny girl in her arms. She's got dark wild curls and deep brown eyes framed by think lashes and from the moment she spies Katherine she's itching to get out of her grandmothers arms. I've met her before over the almost two years since she's been born but Elena hasn't.

The moment she sees the little girl, her eyes go wide. As much as I want to revel in that moment I can't help but look over at Katherine who races towards her daughter and takes her in her arms, swinging wildly about the room. "Nadia! My Nadia!"

"Mama!" the little girl cries, hugging her mother tightly.

"Wow," I hear Elena say. "It's one thing to know Katherine's a mom and entirely different thing to actually see it."

I smile and look in that direction. "Crazy, isn't it?"

But it's when I'm looking out into the otherwise empty court that I spy two faces that I hadn't expected to see here. We've been so wrapped in what's been going on in front of us that none of us took notice of who had slipped in to watch the proceedings. Neither of them approaches us but when they see that I've noticed them, they quietly gather their things and sneak out the door.

"Damon, what are you looking at?" Elena says, catching sight of the door closing. "Who was that?"

"Your parents."

* * *

 _Elena's POV…_

* * *

"I know Kat," I say into the phone, climbing up the stairs. "I can't believe they showed up, but they did. Damon saw them."

My free hand slides along the railing as I walk up another flight. " _But why didn't they come over to us? It doesn't make any sense_ ," she says.

It doesn't. If they cared enough to show up, how couldn't they congratulate their daughter on getting custody of her child back? They just stayed and watched us and then slipped out when they were caught. "It doesn't. Maybe I got through to them. Maybe they're just not ready yet. I don't know. They came though and that means there's hope."

" _Have you talked to them since you dropped out of Columbia?_ "

I sigh. "They showed up and tried to get me to rethink my decision but once the paperwork was done, they yelled and told me I wasn't the daughter they raised and I haven't talked to them since."

As I reach the top floor, I step out and stand in front of the door. Katherine's sighs over the receiver, " _How you dealing with that?_ "

My back rests against the hallway wall, my foot resting along the molding. I blow a breath of air against my bangs—still not entirely used to them—and watch as they blow around a bit. It's something I did to define a change. I've had my hair styled the same way since I was little and I was long overdue for a change. "It's weird. I'm so used to them just hovering." I sigh. "But listen, I'll see you at your house later. I have to get going."

" _See you then! Can't wait for you to really meet Nadia without her being so overwhelmed._ "

"Me too! She's adorable, Kat. See you later."

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath, lifting my hand up to knock on the wood door of Damon's apartment. He already knows I'm coming since he had to buzz me in but still I'm nervous. I know I screwed up because I wasn't honest with him about what was happening to me in New York. But there was no way I could. Everything happened the way it did because I stayed.

And now I'm free. I'm here. There's no going back.

The door swings open and Damon stands there in faded jeans and a blue and white plaid shirt. He's taking me to Katherine's later on but right now we have a lot to talk about. I just hope he'll listen. "Come on in," he says, ushering me inside.

Crossing over the threshold, I step inside his apartment and stand in the middle of his living room. He has the TV on some football game but it's muted. There's nothing but silence as he steps towards me, hands in his pockets, waiting for me to talk. I'm not sure what to say.

So, I start with being honest. "I couldn't come home."

"Why the hell not, Elena?" he asks, voice tight with emotion.

I frown. "Rebekah, my roommate in New York, well, she's Elijah's sister and she didn't take our whole break up too well. She wouldn't let me into my place and then she somehow convinced her family to pull Marcel off my sister's case. If he left my sister wouldn't have a shot in that case no matter what we said. A lawyer leaving just before a hearing isn't a good sign."

I'm exhausted once it all gets out. I've been holding on to it for weeks and to have the burden of it all off my shoulders feels like a relief. From moment I tried to use my old key to get into the Mikaelson brownstone and found the locks changed, my trip back to New York spiraled downhill. I couldn't get my things, my parents tried to stop me from dropping out and then my ex-boyfriend's family tries to get back at me by messing with my sister. It was a mess and the whole time I just wanted Damon to be there.

But I couldn't tell him because he would have wanted to get involved or tell Katherine and that was the last thing I wanted. The Mikaelson's would only make it worse for my sister. Instead, I just handled it. It just took a little longer than I expected and a lot of pleading to Elijah.

His eyes are on me and I can tell he's fighting a war within himself. I know he's mad that once again there are secrets between us; secrets that if we— _I_ was just honest about we wouldn't be in this uncomfortable place we're in. When I left I was so hopefully for our future and now I'm not sure if we even have one. Part of me wonders if this is what Damon felt like when I ran away and left him with all questions and no answers.

"Why couldn't you just tell me this, Elena? Why all the secrets? You know how it felt when I kept you in the dark."

I want to reach for him but I don't. "I was scared you would make it worse and it wasn't your place, Damon. I hurt Elijah. What we did—when we did it was wrong."

He runs his hand through his hair. "I know."

Cautiously, I step towards him, press my hand to his chest. He doesn't pull away and I fight a smile. "Look it's over with Elijah. I'm not going back to New York. I have zero idea where my life is heading but I know whatever that future holds I want to share it with you. I want it to be with you."

His blue eyes are watching my brown ones and I try to just let him process it all instead of rambling on. I mean everything I said. I've basically quit my life and I'm rebuilding it from scratch. The only thing that hasn't changed is what I feel for him; what I hope for our future.

"You're staying?"

I nod, chew on my lip. "That's the plan. No idea where I'm staying or where I'm working but I'm here. I'm not leaving."

The corner of his mouth lifts and I'm confused by it all until he says, "You could always move in with me. That was the plan before I screwed it all up, right?"

"Damon," I say, incredulously. "That's crazy! We can't move in together."

He shrugs, smiling. "Why not?"

"Because we're starting over. We haven't been around each other for years. We…"

His hands run their way up my arms, fading my speech. He's still smiling; this happy, exultant smile that gives me butterflies. "I thought you weren't running away?"

My eyes study him and I can tell he's being honest; he means it. _Every word_. Damon actually wants me to move in with him despite the fact that I just disappeared on him once again and I have no job prospects, he's willing to give us a chance. Before our lives got off track and we each took our own path, this is where our lives were headed. We were going to live together and begin our futures together. Me with my future planned and his unsure. Only now it's Damon who is the secure one and I'm now the one with the unknown future.

"You really want to do this?"

He takes my hands in his. "With you? I've never been more certain."

"Damon, shouldn't we take this slow?"

"Elena," he says, pulling me closer, "do you love me?"

I nod. "More than anything."

His head cocks, smile bright. "And I love you. I've waited long enough to begin our life together and I'm sick of waiting. Aren't you?"

Now my smile matches his own. He sounds so exhausted and impatient—ready to start our future. And to be honest? So, am I. I'm over whatever life my parents wanted me to create; over Elijah and the whole Mikaelson mess. I've been running from Damon and I'm tired of it. Tired of denying what I've always known: that I love him; that we belong together.

"Okay," I smile, squeezing his hands and standing up on my tippy-toes to get closer to his face. "Let's do this."

"Really?" he says, leaning forward, brushing his nose against mine.

I nod and close the distance between us, crashing my mouth to his. But not before I whisper, "Let's move in together, Damon."

And then he kisses me….in _our_ apartment.

* * *

"This is your aunt, Nadia," Katherine whispers, leading the little girl towards me. "Your Aunt Elena."

"'Lena," she mumbles, trying to repeat my name, her eyes looking between me and her mother confused. She can tell our faces are the same but it's still confusing her much like it did in the courtroom where she couldn't stop doing a double take. Even then she figured out who her mom was, even if her aunt shares the same face.

I give her a smile, kinking my head to her level. "Hi, Nadia."

"Hi."

Damon hands me the talking Elmo we bought before coming here and I thrust it in into her line of sight. "Your mommy told me you like Elmo. Would you like to play with him together?"

I press the button on his foot and Elmo lifts the cloth in his hands to cover his eyes and plays peek-a-boo. The reaction Nadia has is priceless. She absolutely loses it. Her eyes go wide and the wide smile on her face is bright and beautiful. She looks a lot like how Katherine and I looked when we were little, with full cheeks and full brown eyes.

Her little hand shoots out and points at Elmo and then she's tugging on the cloth and trying to see his face. I play along with her, covering my eyes and playing her favorite game. She begins to play it too and soon enough she's comfortable enough to sit on my lap as Damon holds the toy and faces us.

I can't believe I have a niece who is nearly two and I've had no idea. This little girl is so full of laughter and love that I can't imagine how my parents can cut her off so easily. I get this whole situation not fitting with their ideals of how things could be, but to cut off a little girl who has done nothing wrong doesn't sit well with me. I'm thankful for her because without her coming into our lives, I never would've got out from my parents; never made up with my sister.

"Funny," she giggles, leaning back against me.

"Silly Elmo," I say, tickling her sides.

"Silly Elmo," she repeats, laughing hard and reaching out to grab the toy from Damon's hands. He lets her and she hugs the toy close her smiling up at him with this toothy little grin that melts my heart. I can even see the effect it has on him as he leans close and rubs noses in an Eskimo kiss. Nadia laughs. "Hugga Mugaa!"

I kink my head at him, confused. Damon just smiles and says, "It's what she calls it since she can't say Eskimo."

"How did she come up with that?" I ask.

"She didn't. I did."

Chuckling I say, "You're adorable."

He stares at me and Nadia as I show her how to press the toy to get it working. "Do you want one of these?" he says, helping Katherine's daughter keep the toy upright.

Smiling, I look up at him and say, "Someday."

Katherine chooses that moment to walk in with some mimosas. I take mine and Damon takes his and Katherine grabs Nadia in her arms and kisses her cheek, holding her own glass out in the air. "Thank you both for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't have this one in this beautiful place without you. Someday I hope I can repay you for everything you've done for me."

Damon brings the glass to his lips and gives me a sideways glance as he mumbles, "Here's to someday."

I'm looking forward to someday, but for now I'm looking forward to today and tomorrow and living in the present; the joy and chaos of figuring my life out along the way.

* * *

 **A/N: I know you all were waiting for a certain long awaited date but you'll have to wait till the next chapter. Delena still had some things to work out. But now that they have we can put aside the angst and just enjoy the happily ever after. I told you we would get there ;)**


	19. Epilogue

**Title: Miles To Home**

 **Summary:** For Elena Gilbert life couldn't be more perfect. She has the perfect life, perfect boyfriend, and headed towards the perfect dream job. Everything is going, well, perfectly. There's just one catch… her twin sister Katherine. When Katherine disrupts Elena's perfect life, she runs away to New York. It was the perfect plan… until she has to return home and face everything she ran away from; including her ex-boyfriend Damon. Based off the amazing trailer of the same name by the extremely talented minds and video editing talents of ElePatro (noralsel) and Caro (_LightToMyDark).

 **Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

 **A/N: If you know me you know I hate odd numbers. It's why most (if not all) of my stories end on an even numbered chapter. It's also why I tried to stretch this chapter into two but doing so would just be dragging this ending out unnecessarily. Thank you so much to dobrevdelenaxo on twitter for bringing this story to my attention and suggesting I bring it to life. Another huge thank you to Ele and Caro for trusting me with their creation and putting their editing talents to words. Since this story is over you readers have no more excuses and you should honestly check out the video for this story AND the rest of Ele's amazing creations. I honestly can not thank you enough for letting me try and I hope I did it justice.**

 **And finally, thank all you readers for reading and reviewing and following along with this story. I appreciate every single reviewing who took time to share their thoughts and reaction and let me talk with you about this story and your feelings. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

 **So without further ado… Here is the conclusion of Miles to Home! Enjoy! See you down below…**

* * *

"That's the last of it," I breathe, collapsing on Damon's— _my_ couch.

All of my boxes from my family home, New York, and my storage container have all made their way into Damon's loft space. We spent the better part of a week divvying up our things; deciding what worked for us and what we could do without. Somewhere along the way Damon's craftsmanship and love for industrialization mixed in with my country traditionalist and created the space in front of us. It's complete with a new bedroom set and living room furniture lined all over with book cases for all my books and Damon's DVD collection.

And I have to say the place looks pretty amazing; even if it's vacant and bare and full of cardboard boxes.

Damon takes up the seat next to me, handing be a bottle of beer as we both rest our feet up on our new coffee table. Most of the new stuff came right from his pocket and whatever I could get for selling my things and it had me feeling at odds about the whole thing. Damon quelled all my thoughts before it could turn into something bigger. We're building our future together. I'll have plenty of time to make it up to him once I figure out my life.

"Now we just have to get all unpack," he says, throwing his arm around my shoulder and looking like it's the last thing he wants to do.

My head rests against him. He's in track shorts and a faded concert tee, sweaty from helping the moving guys get in the furniture and boxes. It's not like I'm ready for the runway either. My hair is up in a messy bun and I'm in shorts and a tank top, covered in sweat and smelling like cleaning products. We're both exhausted and the thought of unpacking all these boxes and organizing our things sounds like a nightmare.

"Can we just rest a bit first?" I ask, closing my eyes and taking a swig. Then a thought hits me. "When are Caroline and Stefan coming?"

He checks his watch. "In about an hour."

"We'll wait for them," I smile, snuggling closer to Damon. "Caroline is a pro at these things."

I take another sip of the beer and swallow just enjoying this moment with Damon. When we ended things in high school, I never could've imagined that we would find our way back to each other. Everything seemed so broken that the very thought seemed impossible. I had to put miles between us and pretend that he no longer existed but I still couldn't shake him.

And no matter how much time had passed, it seemed Damon couldn't shake me either.

"So, where is this fancy restaurant you're taking me to," I sing, looking up at him. He's been keeping this whole date thing I secret since I strolled back into town for good and we decided to move in together. It's been a long time coming and I feel this tremendous weight over the whole thing. I can tell he feels it too.

Damon smiles down at me, leans forward and brushes his lips against mine. "It's a surprise."

I pout and he takes a sip from his bottle. "You know how much I hate surprises."

He shakes his head. "No, you love surprises. You're just impatient and nosey."

Damon smirks down at me and I lightly punch his stomach, pulling away from him. But he's having none of that. Instead, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me in closer. "I just want tonight to be perfect. Can you blame me?"

"It's okay if it isn't _perfect_ ," I stress. "I just want to be with you. That's all I need."

It's taken me a long time to realize how impossible perfection is. It used to be something I strived for but now after seeing all the damage it's caused, I can't bear the thought of it. Perfect isn't real. It's not achievable and it creates this belief that you can't fail; and failing is a part of growth.

Damon and I aren't perfect by any means. We fight and argue and make mistakes but we're real. I know where he stands and he knows the same from me. We both know that all those horrible things we may say are because we're fighting for us, fighting to make us work. He's as much into making this work as I am. We're on the same team.

It's what I now know was missing from my relationship with Elijah. I loved him because we were together for so long and it was what I thought I wanted—what my parents wanted for me. He was successful and driven and came from a good family. He was the definition of perfect. There's nothing wrong with that. Some other girl will be lucky to have him. But the connection with me wasn't there. We we're trying to make something work that just didn't. We were checking things off a list. Not living our lives together, figuring things out.

My relationship with Elijah wasn't what I have with Damon. Not by a longshot.

"You, me, and eggplant parmigiana. That's all you're getting from me."

I hitch my legs over his lap. "Is it dinner time yet?" I smile.

"Soon," he whispers, kissing me again.

* * *

"You look stunning, if it isn't obvious."

I smile, looking down at myself. I'm wearing a floral navy dress with a cardigan, my hair set in waves with a section of it pulled off to the side with a clip. It's not as if I'm in some expensive ball gown with piles of makeup on my face like all the fancy galas I had to go to with Elijah. This is simple, easy; and yet, I put effort in to look good tonight. But I know Damon and he would find me just as beautiful now as he did earlier today.

A blush creeps along my already rosy cheeks. "Thank you."

He pushes in my chair and walks around the candlelit table to take his own seat. I watch as he takes a sip of his water before my eyes scan the place. It's crowded yet intimate with candles and Christmas lights illuminating the place and I would know it anywhere. It's where Damon and I had our first date.

I should've known the second he brought up eggplant parmigiana.

More than five years later and he still remembered…

 _You're an eggplant girl, huh?_

 _Is that bad? You don't like eggplant._

 _Love it. Just taking notes. Mental notes._

 _For what? Our second date?_

 _I was thinking… five year anniversary._

We we're both awkward and full of nerves but yet that one line from Damon eased all of it. He was so sure of this thing between us even while I was still dealing with his past and fighting about him with my parents. Damon never gave up on us even when he didn't feel I would understand him, he never gave up on us. Even when we both ruined it all.

"I can't believe this place is still here," I say, my eyes landing back on his face.

He's smiling, brilliantly. He's happy and I love every moment of it. "Look at everything we overcame? This place had it easy."

I smile; reaching for the menu even thought I already know what I plan on ordering. He's right. Somehow we got our second chance—our second start. This time we're going to get it right. Universe be damned.

Raising my glass of water, I bring it towards the center of the table and watch as he does the same. Our glasses clink and I meet his eyes and say, "Here's to second chances."

"Here's to us," he amends.

"And never walking away, always being honest.

My eyes hold on to his to show him just how much I mean it. We were kids before but we made some big mistakes, mistakes I made once again when I returned home. Both of us claimed to have grown up in our time apart but it was clear I still had some learning to do. Now with New York and the past behind me I can finally embrace all I was running from before.

"We could be at this all night," he teases, "and I have more than just dinner in mind."

We pull away our glasses, each of us taking a sip; our eyes never leaving each other's face.

Before I can ask him to elaborate on what he has in mind, our waitress comes to the table and we both order our dinner. Damon pairs it with some fancy drink I've never heard of and I let him. She leaves and then it's only the two of us together with nothing but the rest of the night ahead of us. It feels nice not to have a moment loaded with tension for a change.

"So," Damon begins, smiling at me. "What's next?"

I tilt my head at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… You've changed your whole life, we're living together…what's the plan?"

I sigh, my head falling forward a bit as I stare at my plate and silverware. When I look back up Damon is still watching me, waiting patiently for an answer. I'm just not sure I have the kind of answer he's hoping for. I know I should have a plan by now—I always do, but this time it's just different. I'm different.

"I don't have one," I say, honestly. "Is that bad?"

He shakes his head and I see the compassion in his eyes I so greatly need right now. I've never been this unsure of my future before. It's something I'm not sure I would be able to handle if I didn't know Damon was by my side. He lived a life of uncertainty and came out the otherside to become the man I see before me. For once, I'm relying on him with my future and trusting myself. "No, it's not _bad_ , Elena. You're allowed to be unsure of what comes next."

"It's just," I bite my lip, "well… I lived my whole life all planned out. I knew exactly where I wanted to live and go to school and get married and have children and retire; but now? Now I get to let life just happen to me and it feels kind of amazing."

"I bet it does."

I give him a nervous smile. "Is that okay? I mean with us. I know I want a future with you, Damon. I know that with my whole heart. I just don't know what that future is yet or when it'll all play out. I'm just happy being with you."

Damon reaches across the table and I slide my hand into his. "I just want to live my life with you, Elena. It's all I ever wanted. We'll figure out the rest together or rather we'll just let it happen to us. I don't care either way as long as it means we're together."

"Together," I smile, squeezing his hand.

The waitress comes forward with our wine and we momentarily break apart, thanking her as she places our plates down before leaving us once again. We smile over our dinner and dive in and lose ourselves in idle conversation about our new apartment, my job hunt, and anything else that crosses our minds. It makes dinner flow too quickly for my taste and before long Damon is paying the check and we're strolling out of the restaurant hand in hand.

"Home?" he asks, leading me towards his car.

I smile, squeezing his hand and repeating, "Home."

* * *

 _Several years later…_

* * *

His body hovers over mine, his faces breaths from my face. We've been at this on and off for hours as we try to clean the house. We keep getting distracted with lingering touches and suggestive words and soon enough my mouth is on his and his hands are all over me, ripping off clothing I've just managed to get back on.

"I'm so close," I moan. "Don't stop."

Damon chuckles and brings his mouth to mine and kisses me hard. He's moving inside of me, trapping me within this moment with him. My hands are digging into his hips as my hips roll against him, wanting to chase this feeling with him and never let it go. Never let him go.

"I have no intention of stopping, baby," he whispers, hitching my leg up against him and changing the angle just enough to make me see stars. They shoot out from the center of my body and have my back arching and cries screaming from my mouth as I climax around him.

He follows me with one last thrust, burying himself inside of me and mumbling how much he loves me and how good this feels over and over again against my neck. We're too exhausted to move. We've spent the better part of the day doing just this and my body is starting to feel the consequences of it. I'm not sure I can even both to clean the rest of this place let alone manage to get off this hardwood floor.

"You're totally cleaning the rest of this place on your own while I nap," I tell him.

Damon shakes his head, pressing kisses against my nose and cheeks. He's pouting, his face crinkling in the most adorable way. "Can't we finish tomorrow? I want to nap with you."

"You're the one who kept doing this to me!" I tease.

I watch as he pulls back, shocked. "What about by the fireplace? In the kitchen? The bathroom sink? I'm not the only one still stuck in the honeymoon phase, _Mrs. Salvatore_."

The smile that lights up my face at the sound of my new last name is enough to bring out a matching smile from Damon. My left hand slides from his hip, up his chest to rest on his cheek and I take a moment to stare at the diamond ring and matching band that joined it only a month ago.

Of course I'm still in the honeymoon phase. So is Damon. We've been waiting for this for a long time.

Damon proposed at my first book launch. Something that was just as much a celebration for me as it was for him. I never would've written that book without him. Never put that story to paper and worked through everything that weighed me down. I never planned on becoming a writer. I went to school to become a Guidance Counselor or a therapist for kids, but somehow along the way the book became an opportunity and now it was a best seller.

Now all the kids at Mystic Falls High that I work with don't let me hear the end of it.

Neither does Damon.

Only where the kids tease, Damon is full of pride that somehow despite completely changing my life plan I found the one place I was meant to be unexpectedly. Just like he did. I'm just happy that I found my footing and I feel happy and secure in what I'm doing. It's the one thing that was missing from medical school. I didn't feel half as passionate about becoming a doctor as I do for all those kids I help. I only wish I had realized it before Dr. Laughlin had to pull me into her office.

Before Damon and I loss so much time. But we have more than made up for that.

"So," Damon says, kissing down my neck. "Nap now? Clean tomorrow?"

It's tempting— _so_ tempting. "We're never going to be ready for the party tomorrow."

"It's just our friends. Family. They don't care." His thumb his rubbing circles against my shoulder. "Plus, it's clean. Just not spotless."

Just as I'm about to object, the sound of the front door opening halts us both. We're naked; clothes strewn about around us, the only mess in this otherwise clean house—as Damon would say. That one sound has us both jumping up and throwing on our t-shirts and shorts, just as we hear our names being called from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yell, sliding into my sneakers before barreling down the stairs. As I jog down the steps, I throw my hair up in a high ponytail just as I take notice of Stefan, Caroline, their daughter Lexi, Katherine, and Nadia. I throw on a nervous smile, looking behind me to see Damon fixing up his hair as he follows behind me. "What are you guys doing here?"

Stefan holds up a paper bag with the Grille's logo on it. "Didn't you hear? We deliver."

"Good thinking, brother! We're starved!"

Caroline is smirking, her eyes shifting knowingly between the two of us. "I bet you two worked up an appetite."

"Yeah… _Cleaning_ ," I try.

She shakes her head and I hear my sister laugh, pulling Nadia into the house. Nadia walks right up to Damon who just shakes his head and holds his fist out for her to bump. She does and he asks her about school and her friends and being the little five year old she is, she rambles on in her adorable way. I give a quick kiss to everyone and tell them to follow along, even grabbing Lexi from Caroline's arms as I lead the way.

We all gather around our dining room table and Stefan passes around our dinner as Damon tries to find some paper plates and make sure everyone has something to drink. I eat with Lexie on my lap, feeding her some formula as my family settles in around me.

"This place looks amazing," Katherine says, cutting up Nadia's dinner.

I smile, thinking back to the moment we first saw it. We had been living in the loft for years and with our wedding coming up we knew it was time to move on. A lot of our milestones happened there and we did a lot of growing up and growing together within those walls but we needed a home of our own to start a family in. From the moment we saw this place with it's wrap around porch and Jack and Jill bathroom much like Katherine and I had growing up, I knew it was perfect.

And it is. It's perfect for us. It's close enough to the Grille that Damon can run over if there's an emergency and within walking distance of the school for me and our future kids. It closed right before our wedding but with that wedding and our honeymoon we haven't been able to get much done until now. Finally, with all our furniture in and with our own little touches of paint and décor, it's finally looking like our home.

"Thanks," I smile, looking over at Damon.

We did this. Together.

"How's Marcel?" I ask my sister and watch as her face lights up.

I should've known from the moment I saw that awkward hug between them at her custody hearing that there was more going on than meets the eye. Katherine and Marcel bonding in more way than one and it wasn't long after he left that he called her up and asked if it was okay to see her in a less professional setting. Now they were in a pretty serious relationship and Katherine even found herself a job as a social worker with Marcel's help.

Needless to say he picked her up in all the ways Nik had put her down. Thankfully Nik has lightened up over the years and the both of them have been kicking butt at the whole co-parenting thing to the point where it no longer affects Nadia and they can talk and compromise and work together like adults. Which is all Katherine ever wanted.

Nadia lives with Katherine during the school year and Nik and Katherine switch off holidays and weekends. It works for them and their daughter and to see how far they've come just really makes me happy I didn't miss being a part of it because of my own pride or my parents stupidity.

A blush colors her cheeks at the mention of her boyfriend. "He's good. He's sorry he couldn't make it but he had some work back in New York to finish up. Nadia and I are heading up there next week to meet up with him to see the tree."

I can easily guess what that work in New York is but I don't voice it. It doesn't need to be said. Marcel in New York means Elijah and it took a while but now the thought of him doesn't fill me with guilt and sadness. We didn't work and even though I made mistakes, I'm happy to know he's moved up within the board and found love with a New York socialite I met a time or two while I was there named Hayley Marshall-Kenner. From what I remember of her, the two seem like they're perfect for each other.

"And what about you two?" Caroline teases, bringing the attention back to me and Damon. "All these bedrooms… This is place is going to feel pretty empty."

"Well…" Damons says, eyes alight with mischief. "We were going to wait until the party to tell you…"

I cover my mouth with a smile and shake my head and three pairs of eyes go back and forth between my new husband and I. Following Damon's lead, I nervously start to say, "Well… we're…."

Six mouths drop open in shock and anticipation. Caroline and Katherine are practically ready to jump out of their seats and tackle me. I grab hold tight of Lexi to protect her just in case.

"We're… getting a dog!" Damon yells, wiggling his eyebrows and laughing hard.

Caroline throws her napkin down on the table. "That was a mean trick!"

I shrug. "That's what you get for rushing us."

"With the way you two are, I expected a shot gun wedding."

"It was a shot gun wedding," Damon says and I cock my head at him curious. "Grayson had a gun to my head trying to stop the whole thing."

With a sigh, I grab a bite of my burger. Katherine is looking at both of us with sadness in her eyes. We all know too well how my parents are. There was no way that Damon and I getting married was going to go down easy. They fought it every second of the way to the point where I almost didn't even want them there. In the end, I walked down the aisle by myself and my parents stayed put in their seats watching the last thing they ever wanted for their daughter happen right in front of them.

It was part of the reason Damon and I omitted the liner where the preacher asks if anyone has any reasons for two people to not get married. My parents didn't need the bait.

They're trying but letting go of the dreams they had for Katherine and myself have been a little hard to shake. They've met Nadia and love her like I always knew they would and have even come around on my career choice once I hit the best seller list. I'm not sure they're ever going to be the parents Katherine and I want, but we're not the daughter they expected either.

"I'm just happy you two finally found your way despite everything life threw at you," Stefan says, honestly.

I watch as Caroline reaches over and squeezes his hand as she leans forward and kisses him. Katherine kisses the top of Nadia's head and my niece smiles bright, completely unaware of everything her mother did to get her.

Damon and I share a look ourselves. It was a long journey getting here but we made it; and our story is just beginning. We want to fill this house up with kids and a life with highs and lows but lots of love. We want to give our children the childhood neither one of us had. Our children will know they're loved and have the faith to follow their own dreams wherever it leads them, no matter who they become. We just want them happy.

It seems like we're miles and miles away from the people we were, the life that we had with all its secrets and strife. Yet those kids who had their lives in front of them and thought things had to be perfect and that mean hiding away from all the imperfection, are a part of us and our road to here. That road was just a journey and those miles were bringing us miles to home.

I smile while I look at my husband and I mouth to him, " _I love you_."

Damon's eyes close like he's absorbing the feeling. When they open, they're bright. " _I love you, too_ ," he mouths back.

* * *

 **A/N: The end! There it is! Feel free to share your thoughts with me in the reviews (:**

 **As for what's next for me… I'm working on a little something but I'm not sure if it'll get posted or not. The next story I want to work on I want to have vampires in it because I kind of miss all the fun and danger (and yes angst!) that comes along with that. The one I'm working on would be post Season 7 and my version of what happens next. So, hopefully I'll see you all again if that story makes it on here….**

 **If not you can find me over on twitter and tumblr (on the same username) where I'm always willing to talk! Thank you again! See ya real soon x**


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